Who are Gestational Carriers (aka Surrogates)?
Many people dream about having children of their own for years but face difficulties when it comes to getting pregnant. For same sex couples, those struggling with infertility, single parents, and others, having a child may seem impossible. However, gestational carriers — selfless women who opt to help carry intended parents’ children for them — provide hope for intended parents to do just that. Gestational carriers make the choice to change families’ lives by acting as a surrogate for the intended parents. But who are gestational carriers?
Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado is here to describe just what kinds of women may make great gestational carriers.
5 Women Who are Gestational Carriers
When a woman makes the decision to help a family in need by becoming a gestational carrier for them, she has the potential to change lives. There are many different types of women who make the decision to become a gestational carrier and help out the intended parents they are matched with. However, not just anyone can become a gestational carrier. In order to better understand who gestational carriers are, some qualities of great gestational carriers include:
- 1 – Having already had at least one safe pregnancy
If you want to become a gestational carrier, having already had a complication-free pregnancy is extremely important. A gestational carrier with a history of safe pregnancies is more likely to have another safe pregnancy when carrying intended parents’ children. For this reason, it’s a requirement for gestational carriers to present medical records that show a history of at least one safe pregnancy. Another requirement for gestational carriers is that they are currently parenting another child, so having already been pregnant before is critical.
- 2 – Living a stable lifestyle
Because pregnancy can take a large toll on a woman’s body, it’s important that gestational carriers live a stable lifestyle. This includes having a reliable source of transportation, a trustworthy support system, and a mostly stress-free environment. Prior to the pregnancy, emotional screening will be done to ensure that gestational carriers will be able to handle the different things that come along with pregnancy. Gestational carriers are also encouraged to practice self-care to decrease stress and make the pregnancy as comfortable as possible.
- 3 – Wanting to help others out
While gestational carriers will be monetarily compensated for their help, it’s important that women who become gestational carriers are in it for the right reasons. If you want to help another family achieve their dreams of having children, and are willing to help them out by becoming pregnant again, then you have a great reason to become a gestational carrier! Be sure to evaluate your motives and ensure that you want to help out in this extremely selfless way.
- 4 – Loving children
Chances are, if you are interested in becoming a gestational carrier, that you love children enough to want to help another family experience the same joy. While it’s not necessarily a requirement, most women who become gestational carriers love children. In fact, many women want other families to be able to achieve their dreams of having children and selflessly become gestational carriers so they can do just that.
- 5 – Being between 21 and 41 years old
In order to help increase the chances of a successful pregnancy, gestational carriers are required to be over 21 and usually no older than 41 years of age in the state of Colorado. Because these are typically the healthiest ages for women to become pregnant and deliver a child, it’s a requirement that gestational carriers fall somewhere in this age range during the time of the pregnancy. In rare cases, though, there may be exceptions. Feel free to reach out to us at Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado with any questions.
While this list includes characteristics of women who are great gestational carriers, it is non exhaustive. Many gestational carriers may not have every one of these qualities, and there are numerous other things that make a wonderful gestational carrier as well. Above all, if you desire to help another family have a child of their own, it may be worth it to consider whether you’d be a gestational carrier.
Are you Interested in Becoming a Gestational Carrier?
If you are interested in becoming a gestational carrier, Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado is here to support you. If you meet the requirements to become a gestational carrier, we will make sure you have legal representation, medical care, and hands-on support throughout the entire surrogacy process. We also have resources to help match gestational carriers with fitting intended parents! Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us for more information or with any questions that you may have.
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!