By all accounts, gestational surrogacy in California is a huge decision with far reaching consequences, both positive and negative. Beyond the standard requirements of age, health, and experience in childbirth, among other things, what personal questions should you be asking yourself before taking the plunge into surrogacy?

For starters, do you actually enjoy being pregnant?

Nearly all surrogacy agencies require proof from surrogates that they have had at least one delivery with no complications involved. Too bad there’s no way to prove whether surrogates actually enjoy it. An ideal candidate for surrogate motherhood should love the process of pregnancy: those 40 miraculous weeks, complete with rosy auras, a larger cup size, a nine month period vacation, and, not least among them, that you’re never lonely. Along with that, a surrogate should also be ready and willing to face the worst of pregnancy: the aesthetic and functional impact on your body, random predictions and strange comments made by strangers, and buying antacids in bulk—just to name a very few.

Will a pregnancy fit well in with your current lifestyle?

Forget that drinking alcohol is off limits when you’re pregnant. How about saying goodbye to your coffee addiction, love of sushi, and extravagant shopping habits. The minute you become pregnant, your priorities have to be reordered to best suit the tiny person living inside you. Does attending numerous medical screenings and doctors’ appointments sound like a nice way to spend the day? The truth is that surrogate motherhood fits well with most of us, but for some, the hustle and bustle of daily life and personal responsibilities are so big there’s just no room for a baby bump.

Are you okay with some very invasive probing, both personal and physical?

While we at Surrogate Parenting Services have no desire to pry and make you feel uncomfortable, it is absolutely crucial that all details of your lifestyle and medical history are disclosed. This includes everything from your past use of illegal substances to any criminal history, past abortions and miscarriages, your psychological stability, financial situation, religious affiliations, and to whether or not you have had or currently have a sexually transmitted disease.

Once all of those aspects are cleared, then be prepared to be subjected to a barrage of medical exams, including: high resolution ultrasounds, fetal monitoring, amniocentesis, etc.—all of which may be shared with the intended parents, who will sometimes be present during the procedures. Again, this is all in the service of a healthy outcome for the surrogate mother, the baby, and the intended parent.

Do you have the support needed to fulfill this responsibility?

Day-to-day emotional, as well as practical, support is essential. The perfect candidate for SPS’s surrogacy in California program has their family and friends backing their decision enthusiastically and positively, as you are in helping another family fulfill their dreams of parenthood. On a more practical note, a form of reliable transportation is a necessity to get to and from screenings, in-vitro fertilization, routine medical testing and meetings with intended parents and the agency.

Support also encompasses your financial situation. No one wants to be stressed out by money, especially during pregnancy. The emotional health, and by extension physical health, of the mother and child is at stake. That is why ask our candidates for surrogacy in California to be financially stable, and not to be on any form of government assistance or food stamp program. The fee you receive should never be the main or only reason for desiring to become a surrogate.