Intended Parent Requirements for American Surrogacy

1. Do Your Research

Surrogacy can be a complicated process — medically, legally, and emotionally — which means you shouldn’t begin until you’re absolutely sure it’s right for you. The best way to figure this out is by doing extensive research about all of your parenthood options and then deciding which one is best for your situation.

Reading this article is a great place to start, and American Surrogacy has plenty of helpful information about the surrogacy process on the rest of our website. But don’t just take our word for it; explore several other online and book resources to learn more about the process and what it will require from you as intended parents. You’ll also want to find out more about your state laws on surrogacy, surrogacy costs and what it will be like to raise a child born via surrogacy.

One of the most important things to do is consult your fertility clinic or doctor, as surrogacy may not be possible for everyone. You’ll want to consider the pros and cons of adoption and surrogacy as it applies to your individual situation, and your doctor can help you understand which option is best for you.

Finally, you’ll want to talk to those who are familiar with surrogacy, including parents who have already completed the process and several surrogacy professionals and agencies, to get different perspectives. American Surrogacy may be able to put you in contact with some of our successful parents, and our specialists are always available to answer any questions you have. When you choose to work with us, we will also make sure that you fully understand our process, our intended parent requirements, and what your surrogacy journey might look like.

Having this basic understanding of the surrogacy process and what to expect is a critical requirement for all intended parents before they begin their surrogacy journey.

Another aspect of intended parent requirements you should research is the creation of an Intended Parent Profile. All intended parents who work with us are required to complete this profile, which includes descriptions and pictures of you to help a surrogate decide whether you could be a good match for her. We will give you guidance through this process, but you may want to consider viewing other intended parent profiles to see what kind of photos and information you’d like to include.

2. Make Sure You’re Emotionally Ready

Surrogacy is not always an easy journey; you’ll need to be prepared for the possibility of failed embryo transfers, an intimate partnership with a surrogate for at least 10 months, and the eventual success when your baby is finally born. There will be several highs and lows during this process, so it’s important that you’re ready for that emotional commitment.

For intended parents, the emotional challenges are well worth it when they finally bring their newborn baby home. However, there are some questions you should consider before you begin:

• If you’re in a relationship, are both you and your partner fully committed to surrogacy? Do you agree on the same surrogacy goals and expectations?

• Are you comfortable with someone else carrying your child for you? Are you comfortable with relinquishing control over the pregnancy and your baby’s development to the surrogate?

• Are you willing to commit to psychological screening and counseling before, during and after the surrogacy process?

• Are you prepared for the possibility of a high-risk pregnancy, premature birth or miscarriage?

If you’re still emotionally unsure about your surrogacy decision, contact American Surrogacy today. Our surrogacy specialists can talk you through your concerns and help you prepare emotionally for your surrogacy journey. In fact, we require all of our intended parents to undergo extensive psychological screenings to make sure they’re ready for the emotional demands of the surrogacy process.

3. Prepare Yourself Financially

It’s no secret that surrogacy is expensive, so if you’re considering becoming parents through this process, you’ll need to prepare yourself for the financial commitment. The total cost of surrogacy will vary based on which professional you use and your own situation, so you’ll need to speak with a surrogacy specialist to discover how much your individual surrogacy process may cost.

No matter what your surrogacy costs end up being, they will be substantial. Many intended parents save for years or find other methods of financing so they can afford their surrogacy and still be able to provide for a newborn baby after the pregnancy is complete.

Some of the financial requirements for intended parents include:

• Base compensation for the surrogate

• Monthly allowance for pregnancy-related costs (food, maternity clothes, travel, etc.)

• Medical expenses

• Attorney fees

• Counseling expenses

• Professional/agency fees

As a full-service agency, American Surrogacy will handle the negotiation of your insurance benefits and coverage for this pregnancy. Don’t worry about speaking to your insurance company about your surrogacy plans; our trained surrogacy specialist will do that for you.

4. Protect Yourself Legally

Another important requirement for intended parents is the legal protection needed to complete a surrogacy. You will need a lawyer to create a gestational surrogacy contract between you and your surrogate; this will protect you both from the liabilities associated with surrogacy and establish the expectations for both parties from the beginning.

A lawyer’s services are also needed to protect your parental rights to your child from birth (as some states will assume parental rights for the surrogate who’s giving birth to your baby). Depending on the laws of your state, you will have to complete a pre-birth or parentage order or adoption after birth to establish yourself as the legal parent of your baby.

American Surrogacy requires all of our intended parents to have legal representation when they begin their surrogacy journey. We can provide you with references to experienced assisted reproduction lawyers, if necessary, and help you decide which one is best for you. Once you have a lawyer, we will set up all of the necessary legal processes with them.

In addition, be aware that American Surrogacy will run criminal checks on you as intended parents (just as we do with every prospective surrogate) to ensure that every family we work with can provide a safe and stable home for a child born via surrogacy.