Preparing for surrogate pregnancy involves careful planning and decision making. While it’s often a time filled with anticipation, make sure it is also grounded in preparing for the medical, legal, and financial requirements to ensure a smooth process.
Whether you’re an intended parent or a gestational carrier, surrogacy requires a collaborative spirit, trust, communication, and planning with all parties involved.
Entering into the process with a good surrogacy agency and support system will ensure you have the most meaningful and stress-free experience possible.
Accel Conceptions ensures that intended parents and surrogates receive comprehensive support through every stage of the process. You’ll find the team helpful from screening to matching clear through to welcoming the baby.
As you prepare to journey through surrogacy, here’s what you need to know, alongside tips and helpful insights.
Get to Know the Surrogacy Process
One important step in preparing for surrogate pregnancy is to familiarize yourself with the process. Accel Conceptions specializes in gestational surrogacy, in which a fertilized embryo is transferred to a surrogate.
The surrogate then shares no genetic connection to the child. Generally, the intended parents provide the egg and sperm, though donors can also be used if the genetic material is unavailable.
Typically, surrogacy involves these key steps:
- Initial consultations and applications
- Medical and psychological screenings
- Matching between surrogate and intended parents
- Drafting and signing of legal agreements
- IVF and embryo transfer
- Pregnancy monitoring and prenatal care
- Delivery and post-birth legal steps
The process can take a few months before reaching the pregnancy stage. Be patient and know that the foundational work of matching surrogates and intended parents is important in a successful and enjoyable process for everyone involved.
By familiarizing yourself with the steps, you can set realistic expectations for your pregnancy, which can help reduce anxiety and uncertainty along the way.
Surrogates Prioritize Medical Readiness
To be eligible to serve as a gestational carrier, a surrogate must meet several key eligibility requirements.
- Being between ages 21 and 38
- Having experienced at least one healthy pregnancy
- Maintaining a healthy BMI
- Living a tobacco-free and drug-free lifestyle
- Demonstrating emotional stability and a strong support system
Beginning pre-pregnancy care early can help increase the likelihood of being matched for surrogacy. While the detailed health screenings surrogacy agencies require can feel like a lot at first, they ensure that a surrogate is prepared to carry a safe pregnancy.
Surrogates should spend time getting to know the IVF timeline and its possible outcomes to be prepared for next steps beyond matching with intended parents and completing initial screenings.
Complete Emotional Preparation
Surrogacy is an emotional journey for everyone involved. Intended parents will likely feel a variety of emotions ranging from excitement to fear. Surrogates will be occupied with navigating the physical demands of pregnancy while also managing emotional connections and expectations.
It’s hard to know what you’ll feel or the help you might need throughout surrogacy. That’s why it’s valuable to start the process with a strong support system. Surround yourself with friends, family, counselors, and knowledgeable surrogacy professionals who can help guide you through the process.
Don’t skimp on professional counseling throughout surrogacy. This can help with processing complex emotions while discussing concerns and finding coping strategies. Accel Conceptions can help in making recommendations for trusted mental health professionals who specialize in supporting surrogates and intended parents.
Set Clear Communication Expectations
Communication is the foundation of a healthy surrogacy relationship between intended parents and the gestational carrier. Both parties should be open and clear about their communication preferences before signing the legal agreement to ensure the best possible outcome.
Your surrogacy agency will recommend covering the following communication topics.
- Preferred communication frequency
- Attendance at medical appointments
- Birth plans
- Lifestyle expectations during pregnancy
- Boundaries and privacy preferences
- Post-birth communication
Explore the Legal Process
Surrogacy is a legal agreement between two parties. Don’t overlook the intricacies of the legal framework out of intimidation or wanting to get to pregnancy.
The agreement that you sign is legally binding, and therefore, cannot be adapted. Spend time exploring the key facets of a surrogacy agreement, including:
- Compensation and reimbursements
- Medical decision-making
- Parental rights
- Insurance coverage
- Confidentiality
- Expectations during pregnancy
- Delivery and post-birth procedures
Legal proceedings should take place before embryo transfer to avoid confusion or frustrations that might arise. The more thorough your contract, the greater clarity and peace of mind it will provide.
Build Healthy Lifestyle Habits
Healthy daily habits build physical and emotional well-being for a firm foundation before surrogacy even begins.
Surrogates can support a healthy pregnancy by staying active, avoiding harmful substances and caring for their mental health.
Likewise, intended parents can support their overall wellbeing through self-care practices, including:
- Mindfulness and meditation
- Journaling
- Gentle exercise
- Adequate sleep
- Limiting unnecessary stress
- Building calming routines
The waiting period can be very hard for all parties. But good self-care and a healthy lifestyle can help reduce anxiety and maintain a sense of normalcy.
Plan but Be Flexible
You’ll spend time throughout the early months of surrogacy planning and communicating. But realize that surrogacy requires a certain level of flexibility in those plans.
Anything can happen and you might need to make adjustments based on how the medical process unfold. Timelines can shift, requiring emotional resilience. And the more prepared you are for that reality, the less serious those shifts will feel. Rely heavily on your support system and practice patience.
Choose the Right Surrogacy Agency
A surrogacy agency serves as a sort of guide throughout the process. But who you choose to journey with does matter. When looking for a good fit, look for an agency that includes these characteristics.
- Experience and reputation
- Screening processes
- Emotional support services
- Communication practices
- Legal guidance
- Matching procedures
- Transparency regarding costs and timelines
Accel Conceptions is located in California, which has very friendly laws and regulations around surrogacy. Our comprehensive team includes the experts you need for a successful surrogacy journey.
Work with the experts ready to help you make surrogacy a smooth, clear, and legal process. Contact Accel Conceptions today to get started either as a surrogate or intended parents.