Why Certain Requirements are in Place for Colorado Surrogacy
Becoming a surrogate is an important job that comes with risks to your physical, mental, and emotional health. Surrogacy agencies have surrogate qualifications or requirements that potential surrogates must meet to be considered for the role. These help protect the health and safety of the surrogate and baby during the surrogacy process.
This is exactly why surrogacy agencies, such as Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado, have established requirements and surrogacy qualifications for our surrogates and intended parents. We want to not only protect the surrogate, but also ensure that she is able to help intended parents have a successful surrogacy journey.Below, we will discuss the expectations for potential surrogates and why certain requirements are in place for Colorado surrogacy.
Disclaimer: Please be advised that the information in this blog is for informational and educational purposes only. All surrogacy qualifications included here are specific to our surrogacy agency, Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado.
Colorado Surrogacy Age Requirements
For our surrogacy agency in Colorado, surrogates must be between the ages of 21 and 40 years old. Some surrogacy agencies restrict the age cap closer to 38. These women are most likely to have uncomplicated pregnancies, be suitably fertile to have successful embryo transfers and undergo pregnancy without harm to herself or the baby. There have been successful surrogacy by women older than 40, but the best chances of positive health outcomes to both the surrogate mother and child come when the surrogate is in her prime childbearing years.
Colorado Surrogacy Drug Use Requirements
Surrogates must not use alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or use illegal or psychoactive drugs. Women wanting to become a surrogate must also refrain from taking antidepressants or anti-anxiety medication for twelve months prior to the surrogacy process. These measures are all for the safety of the baby, who could be adversely affected by drug use during pregnancy.
Colorado Surrogacy Family Requirements
Surrogates must have a child of their own and be raising at least one child. This surrogacy qualification comes from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). We ask that our surrogate mothers be finished adding to their own families before they start having children for hopeful intended parents. This is helpful for the emotional health of the surrogates and brings peace of mind for the intended parents.
One of the main fears of intended parents is that they will be engaged in a battle over custody for their baby. Fortunately, this is not an issue with gestational surrogacy. Through this family planning option and the IVF process, gestational surrogacy leaves no question as to who the biological parents are of the child. Thus, intended parents can rest easy, knowing that the surrogate has no intention of fighting for custody and is selflessly helping a deserving couple or individual create a family they couldn’t otherwise have.
Colorado Surrogacy Physical Requirements
Potential surrogates have to go through a medical screening. This will include a measure of her Body Mass Index (BMI), which is a general benchmark that doctors use to gauge a person’s physical fitness. Fertility clinics require that surrogates have BMIs no higher than 33. Having a BMI below this limit will help ensure that your body responds as expected to the fertility treatments and necessary medications.
Colorado Surrogacy Pregnancy Experience Requirements
Surrogates are required to have had a history of healthy pregnancies. They must not have had complications during previous pregnancies, which will be supported by medical records from the OB and hospital. This requirement is in place to ensure the health of the surrogate and the baby while undergoing the surrogacy process. Intended parents expect that their surrogate will have a successful pregnancy.
Surrogacy agencies may limit the number of past pregnancies you have endured to be considered as a surrogate, just as they limit the number of pregnancies a surrogate can participate in as a surrogate mother. Surrogacy agencies usually accept surrogates who have had fewer than five vaginal births and fewer than four Cesarean births. This prevents potential surrogates from putting undue stress on their bodies.
Colorado Surrogacy Psychological Requirements
Surrogates will be assessed by a licensed social worker to address your readiness for the process, and by a licensed psychologist to ensure you are prepared for the emotional changes brought on by pregnancy and the surrogacy process. These measures will make sure that surrogates are ready to be the main character in the surrogacy journey and that they have strong support systems in place.
Colorado Surrogacy Support Requirements
The surrogate’s spouse or partner and their family need to be supportive of the surrogacy process. This is important for the emotional wellbeing of the surrogate during the process, as well as for the legal agreements involved. Those closest to the surrogate should be on board with the surrogacy and help her through the emotional challenges brought on by hormonal changes and growing a baby for the intended family.
Most surrogacy agencies have limits on the government and state aid programs that a surrogate can be receiving assistance from. Surrogates in Colorado cannot be receiving any sort of government assistance. To be accepted as a surrogate, agencies want to see that you have financial stability. This is to ensure that you will have the ability to support yourself and have the resources to maintain your health during the pregnancy.
Colorado Surrogacy Transportation Requirements
Surrogates are required to have their driver’s license and access to reliable transportation. This is a practical requirement for the surrogacy process, because the surrogate needs to be able to travel to the fertility clinic and medical appointments during the course of the pregnancy and surrogacy journey.
Did any of These Colorado Surrogacy Qualifications Surprise You?
All of the surrogate requirements mentioned above are in place to protect the health of the surrogate and baby, make sure the surrogate is prepared for and supported during the process, and ensure she is capable of having a healthy baby. If you have specific questions about how to become a surrogate or about the reasons certain requirements are in place, feel free to contact the surrogacy specialists at Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of 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: Madilyn Moeller is a writer and editor keen on translating the technical. Madilyn’s years of science writing shine through as she explains everything from health insurance to moving for her readers. Madilyn has a Bachelor of Arts from Miami University in Professional Writing, Psychology, and Neuroscience. She is a lifelong writer bringing her curiosity to the marketing stage, building websites and blogs for businesses moving online. She knows more about Medicare than any young adult should.
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!