Are You Ready to Become a Surrogate? Here are 10 Questions to Ask Yourself if You’re Considering Surrogacy in Colorado
Becoming a surrogate mother is a life-changing decision. Gestational surrogates carry a baby on behalf of someone else. In the end, it’s an amazing gift that allows the intended parents to realize their dream of building a family. But a lot goes into becoming a surrogate mother. Most women considering surrogacy have a lot of questions and weigh each factor carefully.
Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado has surrogacy professionals who will walk both the surrogate and the intended parents through every step of the process. Before you embark on your surrogacy journey, here are ten questions worth asking when considering surrogacy.
If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a surrogate, please call or text us at 303-670-4673 (HOPE) or visit us at Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado.
- Do you have a solid support network?
If you’re married, you will legally have to show you have your spouse’s support before being considered a surrogate. But regardless of the legal requirements, surrogacy is a long process that can be physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging. Having a solid support network in place makes the journey easier and more enjoyable. - Do you meet the requirements for surrogacy? Before you can be considered as a potential gestational surrogate, several requirements must be met. Legally, you need to be a US resident who speaks English. Physically, you must be at a safe childbearing age (approximately 21-39 years old); a safe body weight (a Body Mass Index below 32), and have had at least one previous successful pregnancy. Too many pregnancies will also disqualify you from surrogacy. Generally, less than five vaginal births or three cesarean sections are considered safe. Mentally and emotionally, you need to be both stable and prepared for the rigors of surrogacy.
- Did you love being pregnant in the past?
Some women feel at their best when they’re pregnant. If you’re one of those women who had easy, happy pregnancies with no complications, surrogacy might be right for you. Many surrogates describe how much they loved being pregnant with their own children but don’t want to raise another child. If that sounds like you, you could make a great surrogate! - Have you thoroughly researched surrogacy?
The path of surrogacy is a complex one. You’ll have a case manager through Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado who will walk you through every step of the journey. But it’s still important that before you move forward on that journey, you learn all you can about surrogacy and ask lots of questions. Colorado is a surrogacy-friendly state, but there are still a lot of important details to know before deciding if surrogacy is right for you. - Are you comfortable sharing personal information?
During the surrogacy process, you’ll need to answer very personal questions from a myriad of people. Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado will create a detailed profile of you to help match you with the right intended parents. Doctors and fertility specialists will ask a lot of medical and personal questions in preparation for the procedure. The intended parents will almost certainly ask for a lot of personal information as well. To be a surrogate, you need to be comfortable with several people knowing a lot of personal details about you. - Are you willing to undergo multiple screenings?
To be considered as a gestational carrier our surrogate agency in Colorado, you will need to undergo multiple screenings. Legally, you’ll undergo a background check as well as verification of your legal status. Physically, you’ll undergo comprehensive medical exams. Additionally, you’ll be screened by mental health professionals to make sure you’ll be able to handle the mental and emotional strains of surrogacy. - Are you willing to undergo multiple medical procedures?
In many ways, surrogacy isn’t different from any other pregnancy. But some key differences are important to consider. Gestational surrogates become pregnant through in vitro fertilization. Through this process, there’s a chance you’ll have to give yourself injections as part of fertility treatment. The IVF process is considered a safe medical procedure, but no medical procedure is complete without risk. The embryo transfer does not always work the first time, and this process may need to be repeated. - Are you prepared for the physical demands of the pregnancy?
Any pregnancy already has significant physical demands. With surrogacy, you’ll have even more medical appointments, more often, with even more screenings. Additionally, the intended parents will likely want to participate, as much as they’re able, in the pregnancy. Since the baby you’re carrying is theirs, they may want to attend medical appointments with you, feel the baby move, or listen to the heartbeat. Also, you may need to take daily injections and potentially undergo invasive testing. - Are you prepared for the emotional strain of surrogacy?
Surrogacy can be more emotionally challenging than you might expect. Most surrogates do handle the transfer of the baby to the intended parents very well. Still, you need to consider that carrying a baby for nine months for someone else can lead to some potential emotional complications. Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado has systems in place to help you deal with the complicated emotions that may come postpartum. But throughout the Colorado surrogacy process, counseling can provide comfort for you as well as for your support system. Surrogacy requires a tremendous commitment from not just you but your spouse, your children, and anyone else in your support network. - Are You Motivated to Become a Surrogate Mother in Colorado for the Right Reasons?
Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado loves facilitating the creation of families through both adoptions and through surrogacy. As a surrogate, you give the intended parents a tremendous gift. A family is created with a child genetically linked to the intended parents through your selfless gift. While it’s normal and appropriate to want to be fairly compensated, your primary motivation should be the desire to help another family.
What to do When Considering Surrogacy with Adoption Choices of Colorado
If, after considering surrogacy these ten questions, you feel ready to take the next step toward surrogacy, contact Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado. One of our case managers would love to talk with you about the process of becoming a surrogate in Colorado.
If you are interested in learning more about your gestational surrogacy options, contact Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado by email, phone, or text: Email Us, Text us: 720-371-1099, Call us: 303-670-4673 (HOPE). If you are hoping to adopt, please contact us here.
Meet the Author: After graduating from the University of Michigan with a degree in Education, majoring in English and Social Sciences, Brianne Davis has spent her adult life as an educator; first in the public schools, later through martial arts. Her ability to convey difficult concepts, navigate varied learning styles, and always keep it interesting defined her reputation as an impactful instructor. Many of her early published blogs centered on the goal of helping other instructors effectively teach children for whom learning is a struggle. Once an empty nester, she committed to sitting in traffic less and writing more. With those goals in mind, she, along with her husband and dogs, packed up, sold their family home and moved to the banks of the Columbia River in Central Washington’s wine country, where the pace of life is slower and the sun shines brighter. Realizing in our modern age, more of us turn to the internet for information than ever before, Brianne, now dedicates her time to educating others through blog writing.
As a life-long information junkie, Brianne enjoys taking deep dives into new topics, then condensing them in an interesting way to convey valuable information in a relatively short amount of space. Once her career, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and mixed martial arts remain hobbies, along with boating, reading, and traveling.
Stephanie joined the Adoption Choices family in 2014 as the Child Placement Supervisor. Her love for adoption began in first grade when she made friends with twins adopted from Vietnam. Her heart grew strong over the years for adopted children and ultimately led her to graduate school where she continued her focus to her dream of working in the adoption field. Stephanie earned a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver in 2001. Over the past 15 years, Stephanie has worked as a pregnancy counselor and as an adoptive parent counselor for foster care, international adoption and domestic adoption, writing hundreds of home studies for families, and helping build their forever families. Stephanie is married and has three boys ages 12, 9, and 5. Together with her family she enjoys riding bike, playing games, watching her three sons compete in their various sporting and musical activities and go on vacations.
Christy Ikeler, is our Executive Director and Birth Parent Director. Christy has been with Adoption Choices Team for 18 years, since opening the doors in 2002! Christy has a true passion for what she does and her true love is working with and helping each birth parent. Whether she is up all night on the phone talking with them, taking them to doctors appointments, out for their favorite treat, providing counseling or at the hospital during labor and delivery, Christy is very involved every step of the way. She has a contagious laugh and a spunky personality that our birth moms all can bond with and relate to. As an adoptive parent herself, adoption holds a very special place in her heart and she can relate on every level with both birth parents and adoptive parents. In her free time Christy loves spending time with her daughter, gardening, baking and taking vacations with her family. Christy is an excellent leader for our team at Adoption Choices and is truly one of a kind!! As Executive Director, Christy spends time with the staff, birth parents and adoptive families in order to ensure that the agency is running smoothly. She has placed a huge emphasis on community outreach and programs for birth parents. Christy loves the opportunity to lead the agency into a brighter future.
Ms. Mackenzie has built a successful counseling career over the past 20 years, supporting mothers and families, people of all ages and genders, students, community professionals and fellow clinicians. Liv values a diverse professional focus, including the entrepreneurial life of a sole proprietor, the evaluative process of certifying foster/adoptive homes, the insightful and mindful one-on-one one work with enthusiastic clients, and serving as an advocate for underserved populations. Liv is a Licensed Professional Counselor and holds a BA in Pre-Law and Economics from American University, an MA in Counseling from Adams University and a certificate in Human Resource Management from Villanova University. Away from work you will find Liv spending time in nature, biking to the farmer’s market and adventuring with her family.
Catherine A. Madsen, joined the Adoption Choices family as legal counsel in 2013. Catherine is responsible for providing legal guidance to the Agency, training and updating staff on developments in adoption law and legislation, and program development. Catherine
Virginia Frank is an adoption attorney accredited since 1991 with the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys. Ms. Frank is a leader in the field of private adoption and has completed over 4,000 adoptions in her career. Ms. Frank has a law degree from Oklahoma City University and a BA in both Political Science and Communications from the University of Oklahoma.
Cassidie has been with Adoption Choices since 2015, she has her bachelors in Interdisciplinary Affairs with concentrations in both Sociology and Business Management. Cassidie has additional training in Victim Advocacy, foster care and has been working in women’s services for over 10 years. Cassidie has always had a heart for adoption and it was her career dream to work in adoption. She started off doing volunteer work for advocacy programs, adoption organizations and worked in High Risk Maternal Fetal Medicine through the University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Colorado. Cassidie is also blessed to have personally experienced an adoption of her own in 2012, completing her family of five! Cassidie loves what she does as a case worker from initial phone calls, meetings, doctor appointments, interaction with the adoptive families to delivery and counseling. Cassidie has a passion for those in need and strives to help make a difference in the lives of the people she meets. She is a firm believer in being kind, compassionate and open minded in all situations. “Unless you’ve walked in their shoes, there’s no place for judgment. A kind word or compliment can go a long way!” The bittersweet moments in adoption reminds Cassidie each and every time, why she loves what she does!