Without a doubt, there are a lot of stories these days about people who have started the surrogacy process and have had difficult times. If you’re wondering how to become a surrogate in California and protect your health and your rights at the same time, you’ve come to the right place. Becoming a gestational surrogate is a generous and wonderful thing that literally changes the lives of people forever. People who are willing to help people complete their families this way deserve to feel safe and secure throughout the process. Use these tips to help ensure that your personal journey is a safe one.

1. Have a Thorough Exam Prior to Starting

Gestational surrogates must be the picture of health before starting anything, to ensure the pregnancy is healthy and goes as smoothly as possible. Any reputable agency will screen candidates beforehand. At SPS, a few of our guidelines include that the gestational surrogate must have already had one child of her own, and be a healthy non-smoker between 21 and 40. However, all prospective surrogates have a medical exam and meet with Cristie Montgomery, as well as a psychologist, prior to moving forward.

2. Get Matched with Intended Parents Who Share Your Values

One of the biggest areas of friction during surrogacies that are not handled by a reputable agency are differences in values between the intended parents and the gestational surrogate. There will be many decisions you’ll have to make together throughout the process, so it’s essential to find someone with values similar to you and to decide on all the details in advance. At SPS, we take great care to match up people we think are similar, and then we give both parties the opportunity to meet and decide for themselves. We also walk our clients through all the questions they should ask before starting, to ensure there are no surprises down the road.

3. Have a Lawyer Review Your Contract

Knowing how to become a surrogate in California isn’t enough. You should protect yourself legally in many ways. Your contract will spell out what you are expected to do, what the intended parents are expected to do, how you will handle potential conflicts later, and how you can expect to receive your compensation. We have all our clients meet with a lawyer so that contracts are air-tight, everyone knows what to expect, and the whole process goes well.

4. Work with a Reputable Surrogacy Agency

There are a lot of steps in the process and you deserve an advocate looking out for your interests. Not every agency looks out for the gestational surrogate, but SPS is different because it was founded by a woman who was a surrogate.

If you’d like to learn more about how to become a surrogate in California, feel free to browse through the pages of our site. We’re also glad to answer any questions you may have. Whether you’re just gathering information or are ready to start the process, feel free to contact us.