Becoming a surrogate is a rewarding experience full of new decisions and opportunities. Each step along the way is a crucial part of ensuring a healthy pregnancy and being able to fulfill a family’s dream for children. From the agency interview to a psychological evaluation to finding the best match in intended parents, having the right support team is important. At Surrogate Parenting Services (SPS), becoming a surrogate is a process you don’t have to go through alone. With SPS, even finding the right doctors to help you along your journey is taken care of. After the match between you and the intended parents, meeting with a fertility specialist is the next step.

Undergoing Your Initial Health Screening

Before you meet with your designated fertility specialist, you will have to undergo various tests to ensure your overall health is up to par for even beginning the surrogacy process. Along with a psychological evaluation, this health screening may include:

*Pap smear
*Blood work
*Physical
*Hysteroscopy

A hysteroscopy is a procedure that doctors use to examine the size and shape of your uterus and to check if your fallopian tubes are healthy and unobstructed. A saline sonogram is another procedure that gives insight to the health of your uterus and chances for a successful pregnancy. Depending on your doctors, you may undergo all, some, or more of these screenings to ensure you’re ready for the next step.

Beginning the Fertilization Process

Once you are cleared to begin the next phase of becoming a surrogate, you will meet with a fertility specialist, also known as a reproductive endocrinologist. This specialist is trained specifically to work with fertility processes and will be there to guide you through your surrogacy. In many cases, you will undergo a mock transfer cycle before the official transfer. Your fertility specialist will put you on the same medications you will take before the official transfer and then monitor your uterus, hormone levels, and other factors that will determine the success of the embryo implant. If everything looks good, the fertilization process will begin.

Depending on the kind of embryo used – fresh or frozen – the timing of the transfer will differ. Frozen embryos will be implanted according to your cycle. Fresh embryo transfers require your cycle and the intended mother or donor’s cycle to sync up, which usually requires the use of birth control and hormones. Once the transfer is complete, you will be closely monitored to ensure everything goes well. The procedure itself is relatively painless and speedy, but rest is recommended for several days following.

A little over a week after the transfer, you will meet again with your fertility team for health screenings to determine pregnancy. If you are successfully pregnant, you will continue to return for meetings with your doctor to ensure everything is going along as planned. You will likely have the most frequent appointments up until the 12-week mark of your pregnancy. Throughout the pregnancy, you will still also meet with a regular obstetrician to uphold proper prenatal care.

Becoming a Surrogate with SPS

Facing the various doctor appointments and medical processes that come with becoming a surrogate is easy with the right support. At Surrogate Parenting Services, your case manager will set you up with a team of dedicated experts working with you every step of the way to ensure a successful surrogacy. Meeting with your fertility specialists is key to carrying and delivering a healthy baby to deserving intended parents. For more information on this process, contact SPS at (949) 363-9525 or learn more on our site today.