How to Select the Perfect Surrogate

When starting the surrogacy process, one of the first crucial steps is finding a surrogate. The surrogate, also called the gestational carrier, is the woman who carries and delivers your baby. 

At Great Beginnings Surrogacy Services in San Diego, California, our highly skilled fertility expert, Dr. Samuel Wood, and our team of other experts specialize in matching intended parents with their perfect surrogate.

Here, we want to talk to you about surrogacy and the steps you need to take to find the perfect person who can help you grow your family. 

Who needs a surrogate?

Intended parents (IP) — people who want to have a child but are unable to do so on their own — choose surrogacy for many reasons. 

They may choose to go with a surrogate after unsuccessful in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments or because of health problems affecting their ability to carry a baby to term. We’ve also helped many LGBTQIA+ folks grow their families. 

No matter the need, the role of your surrogate is to carry and deliver the baby. 

Types of surrogates

When selecting the perfect surrogate, it’s important to know the difference between the main two types of surrogates: traditional surrogates and gestational surrogates.

Traditional surrogates

A traditional surrogate uses their own eggs and are then artificially inseminated with donor sperm, usually from the Intended Father. If you have a friend or a family member willing to be your gestational carrier, then a traditional surrogate might work for you. 

However, because this surrogate is the biological mother, it’s important for both parties — the IPs and the surrogate — to have their own legal representation.

Because of many potential legal problems, Traditional Surrogacy is now quite rarely done. 

Gestational surrogates

A gestational surrogate is called the birth mother. Instead of using their own egg, they receive embryos created using eggs from the Intended Mother or an egg donor and sperm from the Intended Father or a sperm donor. IVF is used to create embryos that have no genetic connection to the gestational carrier.

For gestational surrogacy, California law recognizes the IP(s) as the legal parent, not the surrogate. 

Choosing your surrogate

Yes, you can have a friend or family member as your surrogate, but going through a surrogacy service like ours ensures you get the perfect candidate. Though there are no set guidelines for who can be a gestational carrier, an ideal candidate:

• Is between ages 21 and 45
• Is in good overall health
• Has a history of healthy, normal pregnancies
• Has a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or less

If a surrogate meets the basic criteria, we then complete a physical and pelvic exam and do a Pap smear and bloodwork. After the health workup, we do a background check and psychological screening for our surrogate candidates. 

We also ask our surrogate candidates to get a letter from their OB/GYN indicating that they are suitable surrogate candidates. If they meet our standards, then we put them in our prospective surrogacy pool. 

For our IPs searching for a surrogate, we provide them with full profile information for surrogates we feel might make a good fit. Our IPs then meet or speak with potential surrogates and decide how they want to proceed.

Finding the perfect surrogate isn’t an easy process, even if you have someone willing to be your gestational carrier. At Great Beginnings Surrogacy Services, our focus is to help intended parents find their perfect match. 

To get help selecting your perfect surrogate, call our office at (858) 544-6162 or click here to contact us online.