Before choosing to become a surrogate mother, it is important to do your research. Besides deciding if this choice is right for you, we recommend for you to review the requirements of becoming a surrogate mother to know if you qualify.
In today’s blog post we will take a few moments to go over some of the main requirements to becoming a surrogate mother. Although the list is actually a little longer, and can be found by viewing our surrogate requirements page, we wanted to break down some of the main requirements to help you determine if you are qualified to become a surrogate mother.
Surrogate Mother Age Requirements
Although women of many ages can give birth, it is required to be between the ages of 21 to 38 years old in order to be qualified to be a surrogate mother.
Location/Citizenship Requirements
To be qualified to become a surrogate, you must be a) a United States citizen and b) live in a surrogate friendly state. There are many surrogate friendly states including: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin.
Prior Pregnancy Requirements for Surrogates
All those looking to become a surrogate mother must have had at least 1 uncomplicated full-term pregnancy and delivery. In addition, the potential surrogate mother must not have had more than 4 previous pregnancies and no more than 2 previous c-section pregnancies.
Health Requirements for Surrogates
The health of a surrogate mother is extremely important. With that, all surrogate mothers must be height-weight proportionate with a BMI under 32. In addition, you must not smoke (or have stopped for at least 2 years), must not take illegal drugs and be able to refrain from alcohol use throughout your pregnancy.
Financial Surrogate Requirements
Although you will be compensated as a surrogate mother, it is required that you are financially sound and not be receiving any form of government assistance. In this case, government assistance can include receiving food stamps, cash assistance, housing and insurance benefits.
Medical Records
In order to become a surrogate mother, you must be able to provide medical records from your OB/GYN for the last 7 years of pregnancies, with a clearance letter approving you as a surrogate.
Background Check Surrogate Requirements
Both you and your partner (when applicable) we be required to pass a criminal background check before starting your surrogate journey. This background check includes the sexual offender registry and will be conducted on both federal and state criminal records, as well as residential history.
Although not a full list, the above surrogate requirements should be used to help you determine if you would be qualified to become a surrogate mother. To see a full list of the surrogate requirements, view our surrogate requirements page here.
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