Surrogate and Egg Donor Body Mass Index: Why is BMI Important for Surrogate Mothers and Egg Donors?
When women are first considering becoming an egg donor or thinking about how to become a surrogate mother, they often do not think about all the requirements and possible disqualifications for surrogacy; they simply are interested in helping another woman, couple, or family in need and do not worry about the complexities of! As great as it is to want to help someone else, there are many important factors to think about when it comes to Colorado surrogacy. One of those important things to consider is Body Mass Index or BMI. It is something that matters for surrogates and egg donors alike and can make or break someone’s candidacy. If you are interested in becoming a surrogate or donating eggs and would like to learn more about the process and why surrogate and egg donor BMI matters, Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado can help answer all your questions.
If you need adoption help now, please call or text us at 303-670-4673 (HOPE) or visit us at Adoption Choices of Colorado.
What is Colorado Surrogacy? How Does Surrogacy Work?
Surrogacy is the process of becoming pregnant, carrying a fetus, and giving birth to a child for a woman or family who is otherwise unable to on their own. Colorado surrogacy works by in vitro fertilization or IVF. This is the process of placing an egg that has been fertilized in a lab in the volunteering surrogate mother. The mother then goes through the normal pregnancy process, and then when she gives birth, she hands the baby off to the permanent family. It is a wonderful process that gives a family a chance to raise a child if they are unable to conceive one on their own. It is one of the most selfless and caring acts someone can do for someone else. Anyone who is willing and able to become a surrogate mother should consider doing so! That being said, there are certainly some things that could prevent someone from being able to become a surrogate. One of those things is BMI.
Surrogate and Egg Donor BMI Why it Matters in the Surrogacy Process?
Weight plays a massive role in the pregnancy and surrogacy processes and can make or break someone’s eligibility for becoming a candidate. If you are interested in becoming a surrogate mother, you must have a BMI of 31 or under. In rare cases, a woman with a BMI of up to 35 may be accepted, but it is very unlikely. This maximum limit is because obesity – in other words, a BMI of over 35 – can complicate the pregnancy process and increase its time for conception by almost twice as long. The restrictions do not stop there, however. There is also a lower limit for BMI. Women with BMIs of lower than 18 are also ineligible. Underweight women can take up to four times longer to conceive than women of a healthy weight. While it may not seem like a big deal, a longer time to conception can mean more time and money spent for both intended parents and families, as well as surrogate mothers. This is extremely emotionally and financially taxing for everyone involved, and complications of all kinds are meant to be avoided in the Colorado surrogacy process.
Why Does BMI Matter in Egg Donation?
Egg donation is another aspect of the surrogacy process where BMI comes into play, although egg donors’ requirements are slightly different from those for surrogate mothers. Egg donation is the process of giving eggs to a recipient mother in order for them to be fertilized and raised into children. For egg donors, the required BMI is under 28. While women with high or low BMIs may be able to have children on their own through traditional means, eggs for surrogacy go through careful and complicated scientific fertilization processes that are also more intense. A higher BMI may lead to affect egg quality which would require higher doses of certain medications and stimulation drugs to complete the IVF process. Because of this, it is required that women who are interested in becoming egg donors are within a healthy BMI scale range.
BMI Really Matters to Colorado Surrogacy
Clearly, BMI plays a large role in the Colorado surrogacy process. If you are interested in becoming a surrogate mother or egg donor but do not fall within the required BMI ranges, that’s okay; there are treatments and programs that exist that will help you get into a better zone in order to accomplish your candidacy! If you are still interested in the process and have any more questions, be sure to stop by Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado to learn more!
If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy and want to learn more about your adoption options, contact Adoption 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: Alex is originally from Clarksville, Maryland but currently goes to Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania. He is an English major and Environmental Studies minor, focusing on Environmental Law and PR/Communications. He has a deep love for writing, grammar, and all things English. He finds the history and etymology of the language extremely fascinating and loves discovering those small, unnecessary grammatical rules that make English such a weird and special tongue. He is also passionate about the environment and wants to focus on doing what he can to help make the world a better place for future generations.
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!