Whether you are a potential surrogate mother or the intended parents of a child who will be born through surrogacy, choosing to work with an international surrogacy center is in your best interest. The laws regarding surrogacy are different across the world, with some countries being more favorable to surrogacy and others actually forbidding it.
For this reason, when you live in the United States and are looking for a surrogacy agency that meets your needs, you will want to choose a regarded international surrogacy center. Below, we discuss what the surrogacy laws are in the U.S. and what the requirements are for becoming a surrogate or an intended parent.
United States Surrogacy Laws
The laws regarding surrogacy arrangements in the United States are generally far more favorable than they are in other parts of the world. Although the laws will vary on a state-by-state basis and some states do prohibit surrogacy arrangements as a whole, there are numerous states that have laws that explicitly allow for surrogacy.
There are two main types of surrogacy arrangements in the U.S.: traditional and gestational. In traditional surrogacy, the surrogate mother will be the biological mother of the child after undergoing intrauterine insemination with donor sperm or the sperm of the intended father, whereas gestational surrogacy involves the surrogate mother becoming pregnant through in vitro fertilization (IVF) with donor eggs and sperm or that of the intended parents.
In some countries, either type of surrogacy arrangement is strictly prohibited, and anyone who participates in surrogacy can face serious consequences for doing so. The fact that surrogacy is even partially regulated by state court systems makes the United States a far safer place to go when you want to expand your family through surrogacy or become a surrogate mother for an individual or family in need.
Requirements for Surrogates and Intended Parents
As a potential surrogate or individual or couple interested in establishing a surrogacy arrangement, there are specific criteria that you will need to meet before you will be able to proceed with surrogacy.
Let us take a look at some of the requirements for becoming a surrogate mother. To start, you will need to have a healthy body mass index, abstain from illicit drugs, and be a nonsmoker. Furthermore, you should be prepared to undergo extensive physical and mental health evaluations to determine whether you are healthy enough to carry another family’s child to term.
If you are going to be using a surrogate to have a child of your own, you will also need to meet several requirements. You should be prepared to cover all of your surrogate mother’s medical expenses and care while she is undergoing medical procedures and for the duration of the pregnancy. What is more, you need to have a full understanding of how emotional the surrogacy process may be for you and your family.
After you have completed your initial appointment, our international surrogacy agency will be able to tell you if you have met the necessary criteria and what you can expect as you move through the surrogacy process.
Reach Out to an International Surrogacy Agency
If you have further questions about the surrogacy laws in your area, or if you are ready to commit to a surrogacy arrangement, speak with a renowned international surrogacy agency at Baby Steps Surrogacy Center, Inc. today. You can click on the contact button provided above or call our office directly at 412-281-9906.