Discover what’s involved in the medical process for gestational surrogates
If you want to earn generous compensation and help someone else become a parent, you could make an excellent gestational surrogate. Surrogate medical screening can help ensure surrogacy will be safe and successful for you and the baby. At Les Petits Surrogacy®, we guide you through the medical process for gestational surrogates. Starting with the initial screening and continuing through birth and beyond, you’ll benefit from our compassion and decades of combined experience in assisted reproductive technology.
What does surrogate medical screening involve?
Before you become a surrogate, you will need to complete our screening process. This involves finishing your personal surrogacy profile and undergoing a background check. However, these steps are just part of the process.
Surrogate medical screening is also important. It helps us confirm that you are a good candidate for surrogacy. This medical screening involves the following steps before you match with intended parents.
- Medical records review. Our team will collect your medical records to ensure that the physicians we partner with have all the information they need to evaluate if surrogacy will be safe for you.
- Virtual doctor visit. You will have a virtual visit with a maternal fetal medicine (MFM) physician to discuss your medical history and records. You can also ask questions during this time.
- Mental health evaluation. A mental health professional experienced in supporting surrogacy journeys will screen and talk with you and any spouse or partner about the emotional aspects surrounding surrogacy. This will help you to understand what to expect in the months ahead.
- Virtual home visit. You will have a Zoom or FaceTime call with a social worker to make sure your home is a safe place for you to live in during the pregnancy.
- Background check. You and any person 18 years old or older living in your home will undergo a background check.
- Health insurance review. Your existing health insurance plan will be professionally reviewed to evaluate if it is surrogacy friendly. If you need a surrogacy friendly insurance plan one will be purchased for you.
After you match with intended parents, the next step in medical process for gestational surrogates involves medical screening. You will visit the intended parents’ IVF clinic for a comprehensive medical evaluation. This includes a physical exam, an ultrasound to assess your reproductive health, and blood and urine tests to screen for infectious diseases and illicit drug use.
If the surrogate medical screening results all look good, you can move to the next step in the process, which is the legal agreement phase.
What does the medical process for gestational surrogates involve after screening and legal agreements are finalized?
When you’re ready to get pregnant with the intended parent’s beautiful baby, you will receive care from an IVF doctor who is often a reproductive endocrinologist. This is the start of what many people consider to be the most exciting part of the surrogacy process.
- Take medications to prepare the uterus for pregnancy. These medicines may include one or more types of hormonal medications, including pills, patches and injections. You will receive a detailed treatment calendar and medication instructions.
- Monitoring appointments. While taking the medications, you will attend routine monitoring appointments with ultrasounds and bloodwork. The results will let the physician know when your uterus is ready for the embryo to be transferred.
- Embryo transfer. The reproductive endocrinologist will perform a quick, painless, outpatient procedure to transfer the intended parents’ embryo to your uterus. This procedure is much like a Pap smear.
- Pregnancy test. Ten days later, you will take a blood pregnancy test. If it is positive, your care team will schedule an ultrasound between weeks six and seven of gestation. You will remain on medications and under the care of the IVF physician until the end of the first trimester when you can expect to graduate to your local obstetrician for care.
- Prenatal care. You’ll receive care from a local OB/GYN. This includes ultrasounds and bloodwork to ensure you and the baby are healthy throughout the pregnancy.
The last steps of the medical process for gestational surrogates are the birth of the baby and postpartum care and support for you.
Les Petits Surrogacy is here to provide compassionate, concierge support throughout this process. To learn more about becoming a surrogate, we invite you to contact us today.
