Step 3: Medical and Psychological Clearance

Step 3: Medical and Psychological Clearance

The individual fertility clinic medically clears a woman to be a surrogate so it is important to ask the IP’s clinic about the requirements because some clinics are pickier than others.


However, in general, a surrogate candidate should:

Be between 21 to 42 years old

Have carried at least 1 child without complications

Have no more than 3 deliveries via c-section

Have a body mass index less than 33

Not smoke, abuse drugs, alcohol, or prescription medicine

Not be receiving welfare, public housing or cash assistance from government

Have a stable home life with emotional and childcare support

Not have mental health conditions requiring the use of meds within the last six (6) months (including depression)

Not have a criminal record

Fertility clinics generally review the surrogate’s prior medical records before scheduling an in-person medical evaluation.


Fertility clinics generally review medical records to ensure that the basic requirements are met.

Ā 

In addition to medical clearance, many fertility clinics require both surrogates and IPs to go through a psychological evaluation. For surrogates, the evaluation helps ensure that they are a good fit for both the surrogacy journey and the IPs.