• Becoming a surrogate mother is a life choice with many benefits for you, your family and your future.

• Making the decision to become a surrogate should not be taken lightly.

• Here are some of the reasons why becoming a surrogate mother may be right for you, and be a wonderful, life-enhancing step.

Where Do I Start?

for the Role of Surrogate Mom?

Ask yourself some basic questions to start evaluating whether this is the role for you.

• Do you enjoy the feeling of helping others? Your choice to become a surrogate enables a couple or individual to begin or grow their own family. The knowledge of your contribution to their lives is deeply rewarding.

• Have you successfully given birth already? Surrogate agencies require that you have delivered a healthy child and that you are currently in good health. You will undergo a series of medical tests and evaluations to become eligible.

• Are you prepared to become involved with another family in this highly intimate way? Surrogates may establish emotional ties to the family and the child that last a lifetime.

• Many of today’s surrogacies follow the gestational method, using the intended parents’ own ovum and sperm cell, which are then implanted in the surrogate mother.1,5

• You can choose which family you will help.2

Some arrangements are made independently among very close friends or even family members, with detailed, expert legal advice.

• Surrogacy laws are different in each state, and some states still ban the practice. In states that permit it, hopeful parents may travel from other states or countries to take advantage of professional groups, like one of the Austin, Texas surrogate agencies.

of Becoming a

Surrogate?

NOTE: Before contracting with one of the surrogacy agencies in California or elsewhere, be sure the terms of your agreement are all in writing and clearly spelled out, so that you know where your rights and obligations begin and end.

• You should receive free, fully covered health care before, during, and immediately after the pregnancy and birth.2

• Most surveys show fees for commercial surrogacies in a range from $12,000 to $25,000 per pregnancy.5 Keep in mind that the dollar value of health and insurance benefits you receive is significant. Some arrangements include a clothing allowance to accommodate your special needs while pregnant.

• Life insurance should be covered as well, to account for the natural risks involved in any pregnancy and childbirth.

to Become a Surrogate?

• Call on close, supportive people around you, like family members and close friends, for advice and discussion of the pros and cons.

• Consult with your own family physician and OB/GYN doctor to advise you.

• Be sure to thoroughly discuss the implications with your own spouse or significant other. Sometimes, surrogates may have to spend up to 4 weeks refraining from sexual intercourse while on medications and following an embryo transfer.

as a Surrogate Mother?

Even if you choose to become a surrogate mother for primarily financial reasons, you have ethical and other responsibilities to fulfill.

• The baby you carry is depending on you for a healthy, safe start in life.

• Follow your doctor’s advice and refrain from smoking or drinking alcohol while pregnant. Know the risks of pregnancy and what you can do to protect your health and that of this new life.

• Be sure you understand all aspects of your contractual agreement, whether done through an agency or one-on-one with the intended parents. Be sure the arrangement protects your best interests as well as those of the intended parents and child.

Surrogacy Agency

• As a surrogate mother, you are embarking on an emotional as well as a physical journey that will change lives.

• Evaluate surrogacy programs in your area before making a choice. Read impartial online sources, blogs, and forums to learn about others’ experiences. Then choose the most reputable agency available.

• Be sure you understand the laws governing surrogacy in your state. Compare the policies of your potential agency before making your final choice.

• Finally, prepare to enjoy the beauty and rewards of this most natural process, as you help another family’s dreams come true.

Around Assisted Reproductive Technology?

• An estimated 50,000 babies are conceived each year with the use of assisted reproductive technology (ART). The number of births using gestational surrogacy is reported to have grown 89% between 2004 to 2008.5

• As many as 11.8% of women ages 15-44 have some impairment to fertility.4

• It is estimated that 7.3 million women ages 15-44 have used some type of fertility services. 4

• There are approximately 480 fertility clinics in the U.S.4

Family Creations, LLC® is an Egg Donor and Surrogate program that has achieved international recognition by making dreams come true for families facing fertility challenges of all kinds. They apply the most rigorous attention to matching appropriate surrogates and agencies with the most suitable intended parents.

Contact them for assistance in finding your surrogate or becoming a surrogate, at www.familycreations.net, or call one of their locations in Woodland Hills, CA at 818-225-1700; in San Francisco, CA at 415-775-1700; or in Austin, TX at 512-514-9829.

1. http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/surrogate-mother-pros-cons-9368.html

2. http://www.livestrong.com/article/88726-benefits-surrogate-mother/

3. http://healthresearchfunding.org/pros-cons-surrogacy/

4. http://www.surrogacy-surrogate-mother.com/surrogacy-statistics.html

5. http://www.councilforresponsiblegenetics.org/pageDocuments/KAEVEJ0A1M.pdf

Summary

Explore the benefits of becoming a surrogate mother, and whether it may be the right choice for you.

Learn about the responsibilities and advantages of using a surrogacy program before embarking on a momentous, life-changing adventure that will make a family’s dreams come true.