The 7 Steps of Becoming a Surrogate in Georgia

Key Points:

• Understand the process of becoming a surrogate in Georgia.
• Learn more about the legal and medical requirements to become a surrogate.
• Get started on becoming a surrogate in Georgia by contacting a surrogacy agency today.

If you feel inspired to become a surrogate in Georgia, you could change the lives of so many just by bringing one new person into the world. Being a surrogate mother in Georgia isn’t right for everyone, but if it’s the right fit for you, it can be a uniquely life-changing experience that benefits others.

Speak with a specialist today!

Here’s how to become a surrogate mother in Georgia in seven steps:

Step 1: Decide If You’re Ready to Become a Surrogate in GA

Although it’s the first step of the process, this can sometimes be the most difficult. If you do decide to be a surrogate mother, Georgia families who have been waiting for a child can be made whole. However, becoming a surrogate isn’t the right path for every woman, so you’ll have to decide if it’s right for you.

The process to become a surrogate mother in Georgia requires your full commitment for at least one year. There will be some physical, mental and emotional sacrifices, in addition to time spent away from your family and career.

Your whole family will need to support your decision, but especially your spouse, if you’re married. The support of your spouse is important for legal reasons, as they’ll need to confirm their lack of parental rights to the intended parents’ baby. Their emotional and practical support in your journey will also be invaluable to you.

It’s also important that you be certain of your motivations to become a surrogate. For example, is your primary motivation the surrogate pay in Georgia? While it’s reasonable to want fair compensation for the time and effort you put forth, if your first question is, “How much do surrogates get paid in Georgia?” and your main interest is in surrogate mother compensation, Georgia surrogacy probably isn’t right for you.

However, if the reason you’re becoming a surrogate in Georgia is to help people become parents, you’re likely an ideal candidate for surrogacy.

Step 2: Pick the Type of Surrogacy and Surrogacy Professional

If you feel that you’re ready to become a surrogate mother, Georgia has a couple ways to approach the process. There are two types of surrogacy:

• Traditional surrogacy: This type of surrogacy is rarely practiced, and few professionals in the U.S. will complete a traditional surrogacy. That’s because traditional surrogates are the biological mothers of the babies they carry, which increases the legal and emotional risks.
• Gestational surrogacy: Gestational surrogates, also called carriers, are not biologically related to the babies they carry for the intended parents, so it’s generally the preferred method. An embryo is created in a fertility clinic using IVF with egg and sperm from intended parents or donors and is then transferred to the uterus of the surrogate to be carried.

You should always work with an experienced professional rather than trying to find intended parents on your own. This is for your protection, as well as the safety of intended parents and babies. Georgia has two types of surrogacy professionals for you to consider:

• Surrogacy agencies: An agency or program matches you with pre-screened intended parents. This type of professional completes all of the services needed throughout the process, acts as a single point of contact and takes care of everything on your behalf.
• Surrogacy attorneys: This professional takes care of the legal steps of the GA surrogacy process. While they can’t always help with searching or matching, they can often offer you suggestions about finding possible parents yourself more safely or can refer you to other professionals who do provide those services.

Step 3: Complete the Screening Requirements to Become a Surrogate Mom in GA

Next, you’ll need to check that you’re eligible to become a surrogate in Georgia based on the criteria of the surrogacy professional you’ve chosen. Those requirements can vary somewhat from one professional to the next, but you’ll usually need to meet at least the following qualifications in the process to be a surrogate mother in GA:

Health

You’ll need to have given birth at least once without any pregnancy complications, have a healthy BMI range between about 19 and 33, be smoke- and drug-free and more. Learn about the health requirements you may need to meet here.

Legal

When learning how to become a gestational surrogate in GA, you’ll discover there are legal requirements you’ll also need to meet. This usually includes not currently receiving financial aid from the government, being a permanent U.S. resident, passing background checks and more. Learn about the legal steps involved in how to be a surrogate mom in Georgia here.

Emotional

There will also be a psychological screening process if you’re considering being a gestational carrier in Georgia, but it’s not as intimidating as it sounds. Not everyone is emotionally ready for surrogacy, so professionals typically walk you through the emotional and mental processes involved. A good surrogate candidate also has a support system of people who encourage them. Learn more about building a support system here.

Step 4: Choose the Intended Parents You’ll Carry For

This is one of the most anticipated steps of learning how to become a surrogate mother in Georgia. Finding the intended parents you want to carry for can be done in three different ways:

• Work with someone you know: Some women start researching how to become a surrogate mother in GA because they already know someone who needs their help to have a baby. For this, you’ll first need to contact a surrogacy professional to complete the legal and medical steps and to confirm your eligibility as a surrogate.
• Match through a surrogacy agency: If you don’t already have a surrogacy partner in mind, an agency or program can provide profiles of waiting parents you could potentially match with. Those parents have already signed on with the agency and have been screened and approved.
• Search for intended parents on your own: If you’re becoming a surrogate without an agency in GA, you’ll still work with an attorney. But you’ll need to search for potential intended parents on your own, often through advertisements, word-of-mouth and other networking techniques.

Step 5: Complete the Legal Surrogacy Contract

Once you’ve been matched with the intended parents, you’ll both (plus your spouse, if you’re married) need to complete the legal stage before moving on to the medical steps. The two parties will need to be separately represented by surrogacy attorneys.

You’ll establish a surrogacy contract, which details things like compensation, the legal rights for the intended parents, the risks and roles that everyone agrees to take on, what you would all want to do in the event of a range of scenarios and more.

Once you’ve finalized your contract together, you can proceed to the next steps to becoming a surrogate in GA.

Step 6: Complete the Embryo Transfer Processes

When you meet the required health criteria as a surrogate mother, Georgia professionals confirm that you’re healthy enough for the medications and fertility treatments that lead up to embryo transfers.

Those transfers take place at the fertility clinic that was agreed upon in your contract. It can sometimes take several cycles of transfers for a stable pregnancy to occur. When a doctor can confirm that you’re pregnant and healthy, you’ll be able to start receiving routine prenatal care from your OB-GYN.

As your pregnancy progresses, you and the intended parents can continue to share your excitement and experiences and plan for the baby’s birth together.

Step 7: Celebrate the Baby’s Arrival with the Intended Parents

One of the most exciting parts of becoming a surrogate in GA is seeing the intended parents meet their baby! You’ll usually establish a birth plan when you create your surrogacy contract together, and you can talk about where and how you prefer to deliver, any travel plans the parents might need to make and more.

Becoming a surrogate in Georgia is a one of the most special ways you can help others. The experience of surrogacy unites people in the common goal of creating families.

If you want to learn more about how to become a surrogate mother in Georgia, contact a surrogacy professional now.