Becoming a Surrogate in Texas

Curious about how to become a surrogate mother in Texas? If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “I want to be a surrogate mother for a family who is waiting for a child,” then the following guide is for you.

The following seven steps will help you learn how to be a surrogate in TX:

Step 1: Decide If Surrogacy Is Right for You

First, you’ll need to be sure that you’re ready to commit to the TX surrogacy process. Spend some time learning about the process of how to be a surrogate mother in Texas and the ways in which committing to this year-long journey may impact you and your family.

Your spouse, if you’re married, will also need to commit to the surrogacy process, including legally consenting to the surrogacy contract which states that they have no legal parental rights to any child born from a surrogate pregnancy. Spouses are also an important part of emotionally supporting your throughout the process and helping out as your pregnancy progresses.

Your motivations for becoming a surrogate in Texas are also important. If your main motivator for becoming a surrogate mother in Texas is compensation, then you may wish to reconsider your choice to carry a baby for someone else. However, if your primary motivation is to help other people to become parents, then you’re likely a great candidate for surrogacy!

Step 2: Choose the Type of Surrogacy and the Surrogacy Professional

Once you’ve committed to your decision to want to be a surrogate, your next step will be learning about the different types of surrogacy and then choosing the surrogacy professional you want to work with as you learn how to become a surrogate in Texas.

There are two types of surrogacy:

• Traditional surrogacy, where a surrogate uses her own egg and artificially inseminated sperm from a donor or an intended father. This method of surrogacy is not legally accepted in the Texas Family Code due to the increased legal and emotional risks associated with a surrogate as the biological mother of a child.
• Gestational surrogacy uses the egg and sperm from donors or intended parents, and the surrogate is not biologically related to the child she carries. This is the most common type of surrogacy, and is permitted and well-defined in the Texas Family Code. Gestational surrogacy contracts must receive judicial approval in the state of Texas.

You can consider working with two different types of surrogacy professionals in your goal to become a surrogate mother in Texas:

• Surrogacy agencies, which are there to match you with intended parents and provide you with the services you need for being a surrogate mother in Texas, like case management, counseling, referrals to legal representation and more.
• Surrogacy attorneys, who handle the legal stages of your surrogacy process and can often give you tips for finding potential intended parents on your own.

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

Once you’ve chosen the professional you want to guide you in how to become a surrogate mother in Texas, you’ll need to make sure that you meet the requirements to apply to be a surrogate mother.

While those requirements will vary based on the individual professional, they’ll typically include the following:

Health

In order to sign up to be a surrogate mother in TX, you’ll need to meet the health requirements and complete the medical screening process. This includes having a healthy BMI range, giving birth at least once with no previous pregnancy complications, being smoke- and drug-free and more. You can learn more about the health requirements you’ll need to meet in the process to be a surrogate mother in TX here.

Legal

There are a few legal requirements you’ll need to meet if you’re interested in learning how to become a gestational surrogate in TX. These include being a permanent legal resident of the U.S., not receiving state financial assistance and more. You can learn more about the legal requirements you’ll need to meet for how to become a surrogate mom in TX here.

Emotional

A psychological screening is needed in addition to the medical screening for anyone willing to be a surrogate mother in Texas or any U.S. state. This is an important requirement for potential surrogates, as it ensures that you’re ready for the mental and emotional processes of surrogacy. Being a gestational carrier requires that you have a strong support system at home who will be there to encourage you as you’re learning how to become a gestational surrogate in Texas and throughout your surrogacy journey. You can learn more about building a support system to lean on as you become a surrogate in Texas here.

Step 4: Find Intended Parents to Carry For

Finding intended parents is an important step of learning how to be a surrogate mother in Texas. Here are the three primary ways to connect with intended parents so that you can start becoming a surrogate mother Texas:

Surrogates who work with a surrogacy agency will be shown profiles of prospective intended parents, and you can choose who you wish to carry for from those families.

Surrogates who already know who they wish to carry for will simply need to contact a surrogacy professional to handle the legal and medical stages.

Women who are becoming a surrogate without an agency in TX and are working with a surrogacy attorney will need to search for intended parents independently through networking online, word-of-mouth, etc.

Step 5: Create Your Legal Surrogacy Contract

Intended parents and surrogates will each need individual legal representation throughout the legal steps of the Texas surrogacy process. The legal surrogacy contract that you’ll draft together will cover things like the legal parental rights of the intended parents, surrogacy compensation, what you would all want to do in case of pregnancy complications or unexpected events and more.

When everyone has legally confirmed their agreement to the gestational surrogacy contract (including your spouse, if applicable) the state of Texas requires that the contract must then receive judicial approval at least two weeks before the embryo transfer process may begin. Once your attorneys have obtained that approval, you’ll be able to move on to the next steps to becoming a surrogate in Texas.

Step 6: Begin the Medical Process

The medical screenings that you completed will ensure that you’re healthy enough to start the medical stage of the surrogacy process. You’ll begin fertility treatments including hormone injections and medications to prepare your body for an embryo transfer, which takes place at a previously agreed-upon fertility clinic. During the embryo transfer process, you’ll need to rest at the fertility clinic for a few hours and then continue to rest for a few days after the procedure to give the transferred embryo the best chance at implanting.

It can take several cycles of embryo transfers for pregnancy to successfully occur. But once this does happen and a doctor has confirmed that you and the baby seem to be healthy, you can go about your life like you would with any pregnancy. You’ll attend regular prenatal checkups with your own OB, and you can keep the intended parents updated about how their baby is growing so you can share in the experience together.

Step 7: Welcome the Baby

The moment you’re able to pass on the gift of parenthood to someone else is the most exciting and fulfilling part of becoming a surrogate in Texas! The intended parents typically travel to be with you once you’re in labor. The specifics of your birth plan as well as the involvement of the intended parents in the delivery is something you’ll establish together when you’re creating your surrogacy contract, so everyone will know their role in the surrogacy birth process.

Some surrogates and intended parents keep in touch and stay close friends after they’ve completed their surrogacy journey together, while others communicate rarely. No matter what kind of relationship you have after the baby is born, coming together to create a family means that you both had an amazing effect on each other’s’ lives.

If you’ve ever asked, “How do I become a surrogate mother?” Texas gestational surrogacy may be the perfect way for someone as giving as you to help people to become parents. To learn more about how to be a surrogate in Texas or apply to be a surrogate mother in TX, contact a professional now.