Starting those first steps toward the North Carolina surrogacy process can be easier than you think with the right guidance and support.
To help, the following guide will take you through every step of the North Carolina surrogacy process so you know more about what to expect, how to get started, and can determine if surrogacy in North Carolina is right for you.
You can also contact a surrogacy specialist to get more free information about surrogacy in North Carolina.
What is Surrogacy in North Carolina?
When you are considering surrogacy in North Carolina, know that every surrogacy journey is different. How yours proceeds will depend on your personal situation and your specific preferences.
There are some common steps that you will have to take in order for your North Carolina surrogacy to happen:
Step 1: Determine if surrogacy in North Carolina is right for you. Whether you’re ready to start your family or have a dream of helping intended parents have a child of their own, surrogacy could be right for you. Although the North Carolina surrogacy process does take a great deal of energy and time, the end result makes it all worth it. Talking with a surrogacy professional about what your journey could like look can help you decide if surrogacy in North Carolina is best for you.
Step 2: Find a surrogacy professional and create your surrogacy plan. For most intended parents and surrogates, working with a surrogacy agency in North Carolina has more benefits than an independent surrogacy. Agencies offer services to help you through every step of the surrogacy process, including:
- Coordination with other surrogacy professionals
- Managing financial matters, such as insurance or surrogate compensation
- Screening to ensure you are eligible for the North Carolina surrogacy process
- And more
Step 3: Complete pre-surrogacy requirements. Before you can start your North Carolina surrogacy process, you will need to make sure you are physically and mentally prepared for the surrogacy process. Medical and psychological screenings ensure that you understand what you are committing to so that you can have the best surrogacy experience possible. Your surrogacy professional will be with you every step of the way to walk you through the screening process.
Step 4: Find a gestational surrogacy carrier or intended parent. When you create your North Carolina surrogacy plan, you will get to decide what kind of intended parent or gestational surrogacy carrier you want to work with. You will view profiles of prospective surrogates or intended parents who match your preferences. Once you find someone you share interest with, your North Carolina surrogacy professional can coordinate a mediated conference call to get to know the potential match better.
Step 5: Create a surrogacy contract. In order for a North Carolina surrogacy process to proceed, the details must first be laid out step by step. A legal surrogacy contract outlines these details and ensures both parties are fully aware of what to expect as they move forward.
You will need a separate North Carolina surrogacy attorney than your surrogacy partner, so that your rights and interests are properly represented in the drafting process.
Step 6: Complete the surrogacy medical process. The surrogate will receive prescription fertility medications to help prepare her body for the embryo transfer. For this part of the process, the gestational surrogacy carrier will need to travel to the intended parents’ fertility clinic.
Once the pregnancy is confirmed, the surrogate can receive her regular prenatal care from her local obstetrician and deliver at a facility of her choice. The surrogate’s medical and travel costs will always be covered by the intended parents as part of their North Carolina surrogacy compensation plan.
Step 7: Finalize your North Carolina surrogacy. Once a gestational surrogate gives birth to the intended parents’ baby, the remaining surrogacy steps involve establishing the intended parents’ rights. Both surrogacy attorneys will take care of these steps to ensure that rights are legally and safely established.
After rights are established and the gestational surrogate is provided her last compensation payment, the North Carolina surrogacy process is complete.
North Carolina Surrogacy Agencies [What Are They and What Do They Do?]
When intended parents and surrogates begin their surrogacy journeys in North Carolina, the first professionals they seek out are typically surrogacy agencies. For many, the benefits of some of the best surrogacy agencies in North Carolina are invaluable and can eliminate much of the stress that comes with starting this process on your own.
As you research top surrogacy agencies in North Carolina, look for those that provide a wide range of surrogacy-related services. These can include:
- Effective coordination with other surrogacy professionals involved in the process
- Full screening of intended parents and prospective surrogates
- Personal support and counseling through the entire process
- And more
To learn more about the surrogacy process in North Carolina, you can contact any of the following surrogacy agencies:
How to Become a Surrogate in North Carolina
While every woman’s path to become a gestational surrogacy carrier in North Carolina is slightly different, here is what you can expect:
Step 1: Contact a surrogacy professional. Many women, especially if it’s their first time being a surrogate, choose to work with a surrogacy agency in North Carolina. There are many reasons what an agency can be invaluable to you, from all of the surrogacy-related services they offer to help you through every step of the North Carolina surrogacy process from start to finish.
Step 2: Complete pre-screening and meet surrogacy requirements. Every North Carolina surrogacy professional has specific requirements for surrogates that must be met, including:
- Be raising at least one child in your home
- Not be on anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medication within the last 12 months
- Be between the ages of 21 and 43
- Have had at least one successful pregnancy
- And more
These requirements might seem like a lot at first, but they’re meant to rule you in rather than out!
Step 3: Find intended parents. As a gestational surrogacy carrier, you have the right to determine what kind of intended parents you wish to partner with. If you and an intended parent express mutual interest, you can work with your surrogacy professional to schedule a mediated introductory meeting or conference call. This offers you a chance to get to know one another before you commit to the match.
Step 4: Complete the surrogacy medical process. You will prepare for gestational surrogacy in North Carolina by taking prescribed fertility medications before the embryo transfer. This will take place that the intended parents’ fertility clinic. The intended parents will pay you medical and travel costs throughout the entire North Carolina surrogacy process. Once a physician confirms the pregnancy, you can receive prenatal care from your local obstetrician and prepare for delivery at your choice of a local hospital.
North Carolina Surrogate Compensation [How Much Do Surrogates Get Paid?]
A surrogate’s right to receive compensation is protected by North Carolina surrogacy laws. Typically, the average base pay for first-time surrogates is $45,000 paid in monthly installments throughout the North Carolina surrogacy process, once the pregnancy has been confirmed by a physician.
Depending on her level of experience with surrogacy, she can receive up to $75,000 in compensation. The base pay a surrogate receives can be spent however she wants.
Separately, surrogate compensation is covered by the intended parents and is for:
- Surrogacy-related travel expenses
- Any medical risks
- Time dedicated to the surrogacy process
- Missed wages at work
- And more
Start Your North Carolina Surrogacy Journey Today
Everyone’s North Carolina surrogacy journey is different. The best way to learn about how to become a surrogate mother or start the surrogacy process as an intended parent is by speaking with a surrogacy professional in North Carolina. Reach out today to learn more!