Health Requirements for Surrogates in Colorado: What You Need to Know
Choosing to become a gestational surrogate is an extremely rewarding decision and can change the lives of the intended parents who you help. However, not just any woman can become a gestational surrogate. Depending on what state you live in, there are various government requirements that outline what criteria women must meet to become a surrogate. While some of Colorado’s requirements are centered around non health-related matters, Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado is here to discuss what you need to know about health requirements for surrogates in Colorado.
Health Requirements for Surrogates in Colorado
If you are interested in becoming a surrogate and helping intended parents achieve their dreams of having children in the state of Colorado, there are some criteria that you must meet first. From age requirements to previous successful pregnancies, here are some key questions about health requirements for gestational surrogates in Colorado:
How old do I have to be to become a surrogate?
One common requirement for surrogates throughout the United States is an age requirement. This requirement helps to increase the chances of having a successful pregnancy, as women who are too young or too old are less likely to be able to carry the baby safely to term In Colorado, gestational surrogates need to be somewhere between the ages of 21 and 40. Unfortunately for women outside of this age range, it’s not possible to serve as a gestational surrogate, but there are still many other ways to reach out.
Am I still able to become a gestational surrogate if I have health conditions?
Many women with health conditions can still act as gestational surrogates in the state of Colorado. For women who have HPV or herpes, it’s often still safe to become a gestational surrogate and help intended parents out. This is because these health conditions often do not affect a developing baby. However, if you are HIV-positive, it likely will not be possible for you to act as a surrogate mother. Because HIV can be spread from mother and child during pregnancy or childbirth, HIV-positive women are typically not able to work as gestational surrogates.
If this concerns you, feel free to reach out and learn about other ways to help! For other health conditions not mentioned here, Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado can answer questions about eligibility to become a gestational surrogate.
How long after having a child should I wait before becoming a surrogate?
If you are a woman who has recently had a child, congratulations! However, there are some limitations as to how soon you must wait before acting as a surrogate for another intended parent family. Depending on the type of delivery you had last, there are different amounts of time that surrogacy clinics recommend you wait before working as a gestational surrogate. If your child was delivered through a vaginal delivery, surrogacy clinics typically will wait to work with you for 3 months. If your child was delivered through a Cesarean section, also known as a C-section, you will need to wait around 6 months before helping another family out as their surrogate.
Do I need to have a successful pregnancy before becoming a surrogate?
Because pregnancy can take a large toll on your body, having a previous complication-free pregnancy is a good indicator that another pregnancy will be successful as well. Women who are familiar with what it’s like to be pregnant are the best candidates for surrogacy because they already have some idea of what to expect. Therefore, women who have not already had a complication-free pregnancy are not able to become gestational surrogates in Colorado. To ensure the health of both the surrogate and child, this requirement is enforced strictly.
Can I be a gestational surrogate more than once?
Every woman navigates a different experience when dealing with pregnancy. For this reason, it’s difficult to make a generalization as to how many times a woman can be a surrogate. If a woman is healthy and has already had a successful experience as a gestational surrogate, it could be very possible for her to be eligible to help out as a surrogate again! If you are a surrogate who would like more information about this, please feel free to reach out to Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado with your situation.
Interested in Gestational Surrogacy?
If you are interested in or have questions about becoming a gestational surrogate in the state of Colorado, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado. We will help to make sure you have legal representation, medical care, and hands-on support throughout the entire surrogacy process.
Becoming a gestational surrogate is a life-changing and super rewarding experience. We would love to support you through the journey and match you with possible intended parents!
If you are interested in surrogacy and want to learn more about your 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: Ashley Nies is an undergraduate student at Stanford University who is studying Human Biology and Political Science. Ashley is largely interested in various aspects of health and healthcare, and writes about these topics. She has taken classes on rhetoric, ethics and social media in health, as well as other creative writing classes during her freshman year at Stanford.
Ashley is from Las Vegas, Nevada, and considers herself to be fun-loving and adventurous. She values the importance of combining STEM with liberal arts education and hopes to integrate these in her writing.
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!