The choice to become a gestational surrogate is a major one. Many intended parents turn to surrogacy because they're struggling with infertility or they're a member of the LGBTQ+ community. As a surrogate, you're making their dreams a reality as you carry their child and give them the gift of life.
While a beautiful, life-changing journey for everyone involved, becoming a surrogate is not always easy. As a surrogate and the intended parents, it's crucial to ensure that you are emotionally, physically, and financially prepared to provide a healthy, happy pregnancy.
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Becoming a gestational surrogate is a big decision for you and your loved ones.
Before you can officially become a surrogate for loving intended parents, you’ll undergo a screening process broken up into manageable steps so this part of your journey isn’t a stressor in your life. We are respectful and appreciative of the time you spend being screened.
At Hatch, the average surrogate screening time is one to two months. However, this depends on how quickly your past medical care providers can provide your medical records, in addition to your responsiveness and scheduling availability. Your surrogate coordinator will be available every step of the way to answer questions and ensure that you feel supported.
The path to becoming a surrogate can be divided into 11 steps:
Let's dive into these steps a little more, and what you can expect each step of the way.
First, you must apply to be a surrogate by filling out our program’s application. After receiving this form, a surrogacy specialist from the Hatch team will contact you by one of the communication methods you’ve provided for an educational call with you about our program.
Before you apply to become a surrogate, make sure you fully understand the agency's surrogacy qualifications. Additionally, it's a good idea to note down any questions or concerns that pop up as you complete your surrogacy application, as you can address these in your calls with your surrogacy coordinator.
Learn about the 5 core benefits Hatch provides surrogates over other programs, from competitive compensation and an exceptional matching process, to partner support and thorough screenings that protect your health and well being.
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Your Surrogate Match Coordinator, an experienced surrogate herself, will set up your initial screening call. The intention of this meeting is to get to know you, address your questions, and help you determine if our program is the right fit for your needs. This call can be done via virtual meeting rooms, a phone call, or in-person (depending on your location). Depending on your surrogacy agency, this step may or may not be required.
You’ll receive a brief questionnaire that covers your medical history. Next, we’ll work with you to obtain copies of your medical records from your previous OB offices, delivery hospitals, and IVF clinics (if applicable). Once your records come in, they’ll be reviewed by an IVF doctor for medical pre-approval to ensure you’re a good medical candidate for surrogacy.
As a gestational carrier, it's important to ensure that you have no past reproductive problems. The best candidates for surrogacy have a healthy, consistent menstruation cycles and at least one full-term, uncomplicated pregnancy.
You and your Surrogate Match Coordinator will meet over a face-to-face video conference. The focus of this meeting will be to get to know you and your family, as well as gather information to help us to find a wonderful intended parent match for you.
We ask that our surrogates have a strong support system of family and friends, be psychologically healthy, and align with altruistic, humanitarian motivations. You should also be open to sharing the birthing experience and pregnancy with the intended parents, and willing to allow them to make medical decisions regarding the pregnancy.
You and your Surrogate Match Coordinator will explain the medical aspects of the surrogacy process. This includes (but is not limited to) IVF screening, cycle, and transfer.
Your health is our primary concern, and our screening process is here to ensure that it's a healthy, happy pregnancy for you and the intended parents. If the following sound like you, you may be a good candidate for surrogacy:
Yes! IVF is a popular option for women trying to get pregnant after a tubal ligation. In fact, women with obstructed or removed fallopian tubes can get pregnant with IVF because the fertilized egg and sperm are implanted directly into the woman's uterus, bypassing the fallopian tubes altogether.
If applicable, your Surrogate Match Coordinator will talk to your spouse/committed partner to ensure they are supportive of your surrogacy and answer any questions they may have. Surrogacy is a family process, and it’s important to ensure that your partner is on-board and feels supported in this journey.
Once your medical records have all come in, you’ll complete a welcome packet of paperwork. This provides important information about being a surrogate, and also includes pertinent details we will need. These may include forms to authorize routine background checks for you and your partner (if applicable), copies of your driver's license, and paystubs to calculate future lost wages.
You’ll meet with your Financial Coordinator to cover your compensation package and ensure all your financial questions are answered. You’re giving the most priceless gift, and we work hard to provide you with comprehensive packages that take care of you and your family.
Your compensation as a surrogate will include a base payment depending on where you live. Additionally, surrogates will receive more compensation depending on if they're carrying a twin pregnancy or require a C-section. Your compensation will also include allowances for your household and family, maternity clothing, lost wages, and more. Nothing will be out-of-pocket for you or your family, and you'll be fully compensated for every step along this amazing journey.
We’ll submit the request to run the routine background checks for you and your spouse/partner (if applicable) after your medical records have been pre-approved by the Medical Director. This is to protect both you, the intended parents and future baby for a successful surrogacy journey.
You and your partner (if applicable) will meet with a therapist or psychologist to assess your preparedness to become a surrogate. The therapist or psychologist will administer an MMPI-2 or PAI test to assess your personality and motivational fit, as well as screen for major psychological concerns.
Once finished, your interview and test results will be combined into a psychological report clearing you to proceed as a surrogate with our program.
Once you’ve passed the screening as detailed above, we’re ready to start finding your perfect match. At Hatch, we specialize in finding the perfect social fit between you and your intended parents with the hope that you'll form a special connection that may continue past your surrogacy journey.
We will take into consideration your wants, needs, personality, medical history, and state laws to connect you with a wonderful intended parent match. You will receive a “Dear Surrogate” letter written by the intended parent(s) and pictures. If you love what you read, our Intended Parent Coordinator will facilitate the first meeting via video conference to solidify the match.
This process typically takes three months. In order to make this as seamless and quick as possible, follow these tips from our Surrogate Match Coordinator, Sho:
We can't wait to support you on this journey to give the most precious gift of all.
Our surrogates are among the top 5% of candidates nation-wide, and our success rates show with over 99% of surrogates experiencing a successful conception and birth. As many of our intended parents turn to surrogacy because they cannot conceive or carry a pregnancy to term by themselves, you're empowering them to realize their dreams of having a family and begin a new chapter of their lives.
Embark on your path to surrogacy with us, and we'll take care of you every step of the way.
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