What Are the Requirements to Become a Surrogate?

Becoming a surrogate is an extraordinary way to help another family grow — but it’s also a serious medical and emotional commitment. That’s why there are specific surrogate qualifications in place to help protect your health and ensure a successful journey for everyone involved.

At NW Surrogacy Center, to meet our requirements to become a surrogate, you must:

• Live in one of our selected states safe for surrogacy
• Be physically and mentally healthy
• Be between 21 and 42 years old
• Be a non-smoker
• Be parenting your own child with a healthy pregnancy history 
• Be willing to take fertility medications by injection for several months
• Be willing to stop all alcohol and drug use
• Have a BMI between 18 and 34

Our surrogate criteria are designed to keep you safe, support a healthy pregnancy, and ensure you’re well-prepared for the journey ahead. All applicants must also pass a background check as part of the screening process — one more way NWSC ensures a safe, respectful experience for everyone involved.  (And yes, intended parents go through a vetting process too!) 

Let’s take a closer look at what each of these surrogate requirements means and why it matters.

Where You Live Matters

One of the first requirements for becoming a surrogate is living in a state with laws that support and protect the surrogacy process. Surrogacy-friendly states allow legal agreements and direct compensation between intended parents and surrogates. These laws help establish the legal protections so your compensation is safe and secure and the parents’ obligations to you and the baby are clear.

Surrogacy laws vary widely from state to state. Even if technically there is a legal pathway for surrogacy, some states have restrictions on who intended parents can be. For example, some states only support straight, married couples using their own genetics. Other states are appropriate for all types of intended families, and our agency chooses to work in these locations.

In addition to the legal aspect, NWSC only works in states that have a stable, surrogacy-friendly health insurance market available to surrogates. This means, there are individual ACA policies that don’t exclude prenatal and delivery care for gestational carriers. 

Finally, since the reversal of Roe V. Wade in 2022, NWSC has chosen to only work in states where women have access to all the healthcare they might need during a pregnancy including a termination. Safety is a top priority, and we want to ensure our surrogates can get any procedure recommended by a medical professional. Surrogacy is a very intentional, planned-out pregnancy, and NWSC works hard to reduce risks whenever it’s reasonable. 

 At NW Surrogacy Center, we only work with surrogates who live in states we can provide a safe, stable journey for everyone involved. We welcome surrogates in the following states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Washington.

Medical Requirements for Surrogates

To be sure you meet the medical surrogacy requirements, you’ll complete multiple medical screening steps before and after you are matched with a family. This essential step is to confirm that your body is ready for another pregnancy and that carrying a baby won’t put your health at risk. 

Your medical screening will start with a medical record review of your previous pregnancies and an up-to-date wellness exam and approval from your doctor. Conditions such as severe preeclampsia, gestational diabetes requiring medication, or more than 3 C-sections may disqualify you from becoming a surrogate. If you have any questions about your medical qualifications, our team is ready and available to chat and answer your questions. We consider each candidate on an individual basis.

After you have reviewed and accepted a profile of an intended family, their clinic will also review your full OB history, including delivery records and any complications during past pregnancies. And after a match meeting with the family, you will travel to their clinic to complete bloodwork, a physical exam, and imaging (such as a transvaginal ultrasound) to evaluate your uterine health. If you are partnered, he or she will have to complete lab work too although it can be done locally. The costs of these tests and any travel will be covered by the intended family.

It’s also important to be comfortable with the medications required for embryo transfer. That includes multiple hormone injections to prepare your body for implantation and early pregnancy. The NWSC team will walk you through the entire process, answer your questions, and help you decide if becoming a surrogate is the right choice for you. We can even connect you with a surrogate who has been through the process!

Psychological and Emotional Evaluations

Meeting the psychological and emotional surrogate mother qualifications is just as important as passing your medical screening. Surrogacy is a deeply personal journey and it can ask a great deal from your heart as well as your body. That’s why every prospective surrogate completes a comprehensive psychological evaluation with a licensed health professional.

This screening is not about judging you. It is to make certain you feel truly prepared, supported, and confident in your decision to carry a child for someone else. You’ll have a chance to discuss your motivations for becoming a surrogate, any emotional concerns, and your expectations for the journey ahead. The psychologist can provide guidance on how to talk to your children about the surrogacy with age-appropriate concepts.

You’ll also discuss your current support system. A stable, supportive home life is a vital part of the requirements to be a surrogate, because your mental and emotional well-being are vital. It’s essential that your partner (if you have one), your children, and your inner community understand and support your decision. 

At NWSC, we believe that transparency and compassion lay the foundation for a positive, empowering experience. 

Legal and Financial Prerequisites

NWSC will provide you with the legal services of a qualified surrogacy attorney to represent you in the contract negotiation with your intended family. Our surrogate qualifications require more than your medical and emotional readiness. Everyone involved must be a fully informed party to clear legal and financial agreements. That’s why legal and financial preparedness is one of the key surrogate requirements. 

Before any medical steps are taken, you will be matched with intended parents who share your values and connected with an attorney. Your attorney will review and explain the legal agreement that outlines everything from your surrogate compensation to the hopeful parents’ parental rights to everyone’s expectations during the pregnancy. This contract ensures that you’re fully protected and that both you and the intended parents have a clear, written understanding from day one. 

NWSC surrogates never pay for medical care, legal representation, or other surrogacy-related expenses. Intended parents cover all related costs, and you’ll receive compensation for your time, effort, and commitment. NW Surrogacy Center provides a competitive compensation package and walks you through every part of it before you make any decisions.

Do You Qualify? Questions to Ask Yourself Before Applying

Meeting the requirements to be a surrogate is the first step, but deciding to move forward is a deeply personal choice. Here are a few questions to help you determine whether this is the right time to become a surrogate:

• Am I healthy enough, physically and emotionally, to carry another pregnancy?
• Have I fully recovered from my last delivery?
• Is my family on board with me becoming a surrogate?
• Can I commit to the time, appointments, and responsibilities that come with surrogacy?
• Am I ready to take medications and carefully follow medical protocols?
• Do I feel emotionally prepared to help someone else build their family?

Becoming a surrogate is about so much more than meeting surrogacy requirements. It is a noble calling, an enormous commitment, and an opportunity to do something truly amazing for another person. 

Every surrogacy journey must start with honest reflection and unwavering support. If you have read this guide to the requirements to become a surrogate and found yourself nodding along, and you want to learn more, we’d love to hear from you! Our team will walk you through the full screening process, answer all your questions, and help you take the next step — when you’re ready.