Let’s explore the Gestational Carrier Process through the eyes of an actual carrier. I originally started my journey as a gestational carrier in November of 2015. That’s when I found A Woman’s Gift and initially spoke with Julie who was one of their Gestational carrier coordinators. After speaking with Julie, I continued the application process and then spoke with Fran who is the Agency owner and clinical director. The agency has a two step application process. The first in which you have to meet certain criteria to be gestational surrogate.
Gestational Carrier Process and Selection
- Between ages 21-40 (some clinics like 38 or under)
- Non smoker or vaporizer
- Antidepressant free for 6 months minimum with no serious mental health history
- Financially stable
- Have at least 1 healthy full term pregnancy
- No previous pregnancies with any complications
- Live in a surrogate friendly state
- STD free
- Have a strong support system
- Be done with breastfeeding
You also have to understand that the child/children is/are not yours. This process can also take a very long time from application to delivery. My journey was almost 2 years from start to finish as my first couple changed their mind after over being matched for over 6 months. But some can go very fast especially if you are located in New Jersey. After going through the initial screening of whether you meet the requirements, our agency sends you an email with a password so that you can make a profile on our site. Once your profile is completed, you’re then visible on our website to the intended parents (IPs) that are seeking a surrogate. I matched very quickly, maybe a month. Local surrogates tend to match quicker in most cases.
In December of 2015 I was chosen by a couple. I’m going to refer to them as R and K. K had a son from a previous marriage and presently was engaged to R. We hit it off really well the first time we met. He was a jazz musician and she was a student and finishing up her degree. What brought them to getting a surrogate was that they had tried on their own to have children, but K had two late term miscarriages. At the end of our first meeting, she told me that she had just found out that she was pregnant again, but based on her history with the previous pregnancies, she wasn’t confident that she would be able to carry this baby to term. K asked if i would carry one of their embryos for them, and I agreed.