Surrogacy By State

7 Simple Steps to Becoming a Surrogate in Colorado


Feel called to become a surrogate? Colorado is a wonderful place to begin your journey as a surrogate, but it’s important that you first educate yourself on what being a surrogate mother in Colorado requires, so you can decide if it’s the right path for you.

Becoming a surrogate gives the gift of parenthood, and it’s an incredible way to help others. Think this might be a good fit for you? Learn about the seven steps of how to be a surrogate mother in Colorado below:

Step 1: Decide if Becoming a Surrogate in CO is Right for You

When a woman decides to be a surrogate mother, Colorado intended parents are able to have the child they’ve been longing for. However, the process to become a surrogate mother in Colorado isn’t easy or quick, nor is every woman going to be eligible.

You’ll need to be ready to physically, mentally and emotionally commit to the process for at least one year to be a surrogate in Colorado. There will be some sacrifices to your time, family and career during this period.

That’s why it’s important that your family is supportive of your decision, particularly your spouse, if you’re married. Your spouse will need to be on board for legal reasons (as well as for practical and emotional support) because they’ll need to confirm that they have no parental rights to the child you’re carrying for the intended parents.

At this point, you should also be certain about why you want to become a surrogate. If your first question is, “How much do surrogates get paid in Colorado?” you may need to reconsider becoming a surrogate. Colorado surrogacy compensation is permitted and perfectly reasonable for the time and effort you put forth, but monetary gain should never be a primary motivator. If your main goal is to help others to have children, however, you’re already a great surrogate candidate.

Step 2: Plan Your Path as a Surrogate

If you’ve decided that you’re prepared to become a surrogate mother, Colorado has two types of surrogacy you’ll need to consider:

  • Traditional surrogacy: Although traditional surrogacy is considered legal in Colorado, most professionals won’t complete this process because traditional surrogates are the biological mothers of the children they carry. This poses serious legal and emotional risks.
  • Gestational surrogacy: This type of surrogacy is also permitted in Colorado, and it’s the more common method, as gestational surrogates are not biologically related to the baby. Here, an embryo would be created using IVF with gametes from donors or the intended parents and is transferred to a surrogate’s uterus at the fertility clinic for her to carry.

It’s important for the safety of everyone involved that you become a surrogate in Colorado with an experienced professional, even if you already know and trust the intended parents. For this, there are two types of surrogacy professionals you could choose from:

  • Surrogacy agencies: They may also be referred to as a surrogacy or matching program. These professionals match you with screened and waiting intended parents and complete all of the services needed throughout the process. They coordinate everything on your behalf.
  • Surrogacy attorneys: They complete the legal process and, while they can’t usually help with searching or matching, they may be able to offer tips about safely searching for potential parents, or they can refer you to other professionals for a wider range of services.

Step 3: Meet the Requirements to Become a Surrogate Mom in CO

Once you’ve established your surrogacy plan, you need to check that you’re eligible to become a surrogate in Colorado with your professional. Although every professional’s requirements can vary somewhat, most will include these criteria:

Health

There are a series of important health requirements you’ll need to meet before beginning the process to be a surrogate mother in CO. These include having given birth at least once, a history of complication-free pregnancies, a BMI range of about 19 to 33, being smoke- and drug-free and more.

Legal

There are a number of legal requirements involved in how to become a gestational surrogate in CO, including submitting to background checks, being a permanent resident of the U.S., not receiving financial assistance from the government and more.

Emotional

You’ll also need to complete a psychological screening process if you’re interested in being a gestational carrier in Colorado. This is intended to help you prepare for the mental and emotional aspects of surrogacy. One  preferred criteria for becoming a gestational surrogate in CO is having a solid support system of people who encourage you to follow your surrogacy goals.

Step 4: Match with Your Intended Parents

One of the most exciting steps of learning how to become a surrogate mother in Colorado is finding the intended parents you want to carry for. There are three different ways of going about this:

1. Partner with someone you already know:

Women often learn how to become a surrogate mother in CO because they already know someone who wants to become a parent via surrogacy. If this is your situation, you’ll need to contact a professional to verify your eligibility before completing the legal and medical steps.

2. Find a match through an agency:

If you don’t already have intended parents in mind, a surrogacy agency or program can help. They’ll show you profiles of screened and waiting parents you could potentially match with and get to know.

3. Look for intended parents on your own:

If you’re becoming a surrogate without an agency in CO, you will still need to work with a licensed attorney. You’ll search for intended parents on your own, typically via ads or personal networking. This can be risky, so use caution.

Step 5: Establish Your Surrogacy Contract

When you’ve been matched with intended parents, you’ll next need to complete the legal steps with the intended parents (and your spouse, if you’re married) prior to beginning any medical processes. Both parties should have separate attorneys.

Together, you’ll create a surrogacy contract, which covers a range of important topics, like surrogate pay, Colorado legal parental rights of the intended parents, what you’d do in the event of complications, agreed-upon risks and responsibilities and more.

After the finalization of the contract, you can move on to the next steps to becoming a surrogate in CO.

Step 6: Complete Embryo Transfers

By the point you’ve met the health requirements as a surrogate mother, Colorado professionals have confirmed that you’re healthy enough to start the medications that lead up to the embryo transfer.

Transfers occur at the fertility clinic that was established in your contract. Multiple cycles of transfers might be needed for a stable pregnancy to be established, but when a doctor has confirmed that you’re pregnant and healthy, you can start seeing your preferred OB-GYN for routine prenatal care.

Throughout the remainder of the pregnancy, you can keep in touch with the parents about their baby’s growth and share your excitement for the baby’s upcoming arrival.

Step 7: Welcome the Baby with the Intended Parents

This is always the most exciting step of becoming a surrogate in CO – for both you and your intended parents!

Prior to your due date, you’ll create a birth plan in your contract and discuss where and how you’d like to deliver the baby. The intended parents will also make preparations to be with you during your labor.

Becoming a surrogate in Colorado is a uniquely special and rewarding way that a woman can help someone. Interested in learning more about how to become a surrogate mother in Colorado? Contact a surrogacy professional now for more information.

Male and Female couple smiling with surrogate mother
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