Become A Surrogate: Understanding the Screening Process
Many women describe being a surrogate as one of the most rewarding experiences of their lives. Helping another family bring a child into the world is a powerful act of compassion and generosity. But before that incredible ending comes the beginning—the surrogacy screening process.
At Pathways to Parenthood, we guide you through every step with honesty, compassion, and transparency. Understanding what’s involved and preparing in advance helps your journey move forward more smoothly, allowing you to be matched with intended parents sooner.
Why the Surrogacy Screening Process Matters
Becoming a surrogate is more than a medical procedure—it’s a commitment that affects your health, your family, and the family you’re helping. The screening process ensures that you’re physically, emotionally, and mentally ready to take on this life-changing role.
Screening protects everyone involved—the surrogate, the intended parents, and the baby—by confirming that all parties can safely and confidently begin the journey. While thorough, this process is also supportive, designed to set you up for success.
Step One: The Pre-Screening Application
You can take the first step to becoming a surrogate by completing the pre-screening application.
This quick online form gathers essential details about your background, lifestyle, and medical history. If you meet the initial requirements, our team will contact you to continue the process. During this stage, honesty and transparency are key—your answers help us ensure the process is the right fit for you.
Step Two: Meeting Basic Surrogate Qualifications
Before proceeding to the medical and psychological phases, applicants must meet foundational criteria set by both Pathways to Parenthood and our partner fertility clinics. These standards align with recommendations from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) to maximize safety and success.
Basic Criteria for Gestational Surrogate Candidates
- Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- Hold a valid driver’s license
- Be a non-smoker and abstain from vaping or drug use
- No new tattoos or piercings within the past 12 months
- Be between ages 24 and 38
- Have had at least one healthy, full-term pregnancy and delivery
- Maintain a Body Mass Index (BMI) under 30
- Be mentally and physically healthy
- Not receive public assistance or government aid
- Be able to pass a criminal background check
- Be free of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
- Have reliable transportation for appointments
- Live in a stable home environment
- Have the support of your spouse or partner, if applicable
These guidelines ensure you’re in the best position for a safe, healthy, and successful surrogacy experience.
Step Three: Medical History Review
Once you meet basic qualifications, you’ll move on to the medical assessment phase. This precedes the formal medical evaluation that will be done after matching at the fertility clinic:
- Health & pregnancy history review
- Ob/Gyn medical clearance
- Pregnancy medical records review
Every aspect of the medical review helps determine whether your body can safely carry a pregnancy for someone else. If any questions arise—such as past medical conditions or pregnancy complications—we will consult with fertility specialists to determine ability to proceed with screening.
For a deeper explanation of how specific medical conditions affect surrogacy eligibility, read our related article: Can I Be a Surrogate with Medical History?
Step Four: Psychological and Emotional Readiness Evaluation
Carrying a child for another family is an emotional journey. To ensure readiness, every surrogate completes a psychological evaluation with a licensed mental health professional experienced in third-party reproduction.
This evaluation includes:
- A clinical interview to explore your motivations and expectations
- Discussion about emotional support systems (partner, family, friends)
- Personality assessment to ensure emotional resilience
This part of the process isn’t about judgment—it’s about ensuring that you have the support, stability, and mental health needed for a positive experience.
Step Five: Background and Lifestyle Verification
The final step in the screening process is background and lifestyle verification. This includes:
- Criminal and child safety background checks for you and your partner
- Home environment review to confirm a safe, supportive living situation
- Verification of financial stability—compensation should be a benefit, not a necessity
These checks protect you, your family, and the intended parents, ensuring a trustworthy, respectful match.
What Happens After Screening?
Once all agency evaluations are completed, you’re officially ready to be matched with intended parents. From there, our team helps guide introductions and matching process, oversee fertility clinic medical clearance process, legal contracts, and coordination of the medical cycle that leads to embryo transfer.
Pathways to Parenthood is with you every step of the way—offering guidance, emotional support, and expert coordination to make the journey smooth and rewarding.
Begin Your Journey with Pathways to Parenthood
The surrogacy screening process may seem extensive, but it exists to ensure your health, safety, and success. Each requirement is a step toward creating a family’s dream come true—safely, responsibly, and joyfully to ensure best outcomes for everyone.
If you meet the basic surrogate requirements and feel ready to take the next step, we’d love to talk with you. Contact Pathways to Parenthood today to begin your application or learn more about becoming a gestational surrogate.
Your journey starts with one step that may change someone’s life forever.
8 Signs You Would Make A Good Surrogate
If you’re like many women considering becoming a surrogate, you’ve known for a long time that this is something you want to do. But every woman who considers surrogacy asks herself the same questions: Would I make a good surrogate? Is surrogacy right for me?
Choosing to carry a pregnancy for someone else is a big, life-changing decision, and there are many factors to consider before becoming a surrogate mother. Here are eight things to consider to help determine whether surrogacy is right for you.
You’re Becoming A Surrogate Mother For The Right Reasons
While being a surrogate has its financial benefits, money can’t be your biggest motivation. A surrogate should be someone who is primarily focused on giving, not receiving. Women who make amazing surrogates are those who hope to give an incredible gift and make a real impact on another person’s life.
You Are Healthy
One of the most important qualifications for a surrogate is a healthy lifestyle and medical history. This helps ensure a healthy pregnancy for both you as the surrogate, and the child you carry. Certain physical qualifications need to be met, such as a healthy body mass index (BMI), not being a smoker or drug user, and be within a certain age limit.
You Have Had A Healthy Pregnancy/Pregnancies
You must have had at least one healthy, complication free pregnancy and delivery. You cannot have had more than 5 pregnancies however, or more than 2 C-section deliveries.
You Enjoy Being Pregnant
Some women simply glow throughout their pregnancies. While many women couldn’t imagine being pregnant because they love being pregnant, surrogates have a special connection to pregnancy and often feel their best when carrying a child, whether that be for their own family or someone else’s.
You Are Organized
Surrogacy doesn’t just come together — it takes months of planning, interviews, meetings, and more before you even begin the pregnancy process. Throughout pregnancy, it’s imperative to track important pregnancy metrics, keep up with doctor’s visits, and maintain your everyday life at home, all the while planning for your impending delivery. Because of this, surrogate mothers must have strong organizational skills to be able to balance the demands of everyday life and being a surrogate.
You Are A Good Communicator
Good Communication is key to being a surrogate. Your Intended Parent’s will want to know how you’re doing, what’s coming up, and what they can help with. They’ll also want to see photos and maybe an occasional video. It’s important to know how to be open and honest with all involved parties though the surrogacy process.
You Have A Good Support Network
No matter how strong you are, there will always be times when you need the support of other people. Friends and family are essential, and they should be on hand whether you need to celebrate, talk things over, or cry on a shoulder. They’ll also need to accompany you to certain appointments and procedures. In fact, one of the prerequisites when applying to become a surrogate is that you have a support person. This could be a partner, a family member, or a close friend: someone you love and trust. If you have more than one support person, all the better!
You Are Financially Stable
While being a surrogate does qualify you for surrogate compensation, you should be financially independent before starting the surrogacy journey. Our surrogates may not be receiving welfare, using Medicaid, or supplemental security income (SSI).
Is Surrogacy Right For You?
If you’ve decided to become a surrogate, or have questions about becoming a surrogate, Pathways to Parenthood can answer your questions and guide you through the process. We have helped surrogates and intended parents come together in Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, Oklahoma, Iowa, Illinois and Arkansas, Ohio and Kentucky. We can help you too!
Patience And The Surrogacy Process
You may be a generous, giving woman that has recently decided to become a surrogate. Or you may be ready to be parents that decided to begin the surrogacy process to grow your family. Both starting points are filled with excitement and optimism of beginning something that leads to a dream come true for everyone involved.
The end of the surrogacy process for women who become surrogates and parents to be is truly a beautiful and special time. The path to get to that special time is filled with many steps, processes, procedures, requirements, and potentially delays and setbacks. That is where patience comes in. Patience is not something that most of us are very good at unless we focus our efforts to be patient. Or be more patient. In addition, most of us also do not like to hear that we need to be patient. Or be more patient. But having patience with the surrogacy process will allow you to be able to persevere through all of the steps, processes, procedures, requirements and any delays or setbacks. Because in the end, it will be worth it.
One important way to help yourself be more patient with the surrogacy process is to know what to expect during your journey. A surrogacy agency will be able to explain the surrogacy process in detail which will ensure that your expectations are realistic. Also, a surrogacy agency will be able to provide the framework for all steps in the surrogacy process, including delays and setbacks so that you have an expert working with you side by side helping you navigate as efficiently as possible.
Having a good support system will also help you be more patient during the surrogacy process. A surrogacy agency can offer you support throughout your journey; however it is important to find multiple areas of support. Take good care of yourself. Get good sleep, eat a healthy diet, and exercise. The better you feel physically and mentally, the better equipped you will be to manage the surrogacy process well by being patient with yourself and others.
Pathways To Parenthood Surrogacy Agency can help you get started today! We can answer your questions about the surrogacy process, so you know what to expect and how to get started. Contact us to schedule a consultation appointment. We can help you like we have helped many other surrogates and future parents in Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, Oklahoma, Iowa, Illinois, Arkansas, Ohio and Kentucky. We look forward to hearing from you!
5 Reasons To Become A Surrogate Right Now! Like Today!
If you are reading this, there is a good chance you have been thinking about becoming a surrogate for a while. Most women that become surrogates think about it and do research for months, sometimes years before they move forward in the surrogacy process. It is important to be ready and prepared before embarking upon becoming a surrogate. If you fall into the category of thinking about it but are still trying to make your final decision, here are 5 really good reasons to get started today!
- There is a need! The demand for surrogates is higher than ever. There are many people who had to put their surrogacy family building plans on hold because of COVID. And then there are those who are just now learning surrogacy may be the only option they have to grow their family. Once they start doing research and learn how long it takes to match with a surrogate, they become discouraged. Many potential intended parents are having to delay their plans to utilize surrogacy to grow their family because the wait times can be up to one year to match with a surrogate!
- Covid burnout! We all have put so much of our lives on hold because of COVID. Enough already! If you have delayed becoming a surrogate due to COVID, it is time to wait no more. It is time to start living again, and that includes realizing your dreams of becoming a surrogate. If surrogacy is on your dream list, now is the time to make it happen!
- You can make great money for your family while helping another family! Compensation packages have increased due to the increased demand for surrogates. It is the way of the world right now. For those waiting and wanting to find their surrogate to help them have a baby, they are willing to pay the necessary (and well deserved) compensation. Surrogacy compensation gives you a great opportunity to grow your savings or pay off debt!
- You love being pregnant! If you want to become a surrogate, then you probably love being pregnant. But you are done building your own family. You aren’t getting any younger….so get started with your surrogacy process today so you can experience the amazing state of being pregnant again.
- There is a need! I know that was already stated. But it cannot be stated enough! Intended parents are waiting! You can be matched with intended parents right away and move forward in the surrogacy process as soon as you complete the screening process to become a surrogate.
If you are ready to become a surrogate, or have questions about how to get started, Pathways to Parenthood Surrogacy Agency can answer your questions and guide you through the process. We have helped surrogates and intended parents come together in Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, Oklahoma, Iowa, Illinois, Arkansas, Ohio and Kentucky. We can help you too! We look forward to hearing from you!