My Surrogate Application and Pre-Screening Process
My prescreening and application process was so easy and smooth. Joe and the rest of the team were so kind and easy to reach during every step. Starting from the initial phone call, the staff was very knowledgeable and helpful in guiding me through the application process. They were quick to help me get all of my previous medical records sent to them, and helped me know exactly what appointments I needed to have. I could not have asked for things to go any smoother!
Becoming a Surrogate
While I’ve always been curious and fascinated by surrogacy, I never truly thought about it as something I, myself, would be able to do. It wasn’t until after I had my first daughter and I had made more friends who were in same sex relationships, that it started coming up in conversation; I would semi-jokingly offer to carry a baby for them. They would laugh and say they’d think of me first if they ever decided to try to have a baby. But those conversations are what truly planted the seed that surrogacy could be an actual possibility. Fast forward a
CNY Fertility & NYSC Facebook Live Video
https://youtu.be/JOxoXOdqXaU
Phase Two: Medical and Psychological Clearance
So far in what I call ‘phase two’ I have had my psychological clearance and have almost completed my medical clearance. The medical/psychological clearance only took about one month to complete. The psychological clearance wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It started with 344 questionnaires that I had to take online. After that I scheduled a zoom meeting with the psychologist. This meeting was about an hour and a half and then another hour and a half with the intended parents. The psychologist watched our interaction and asked questions about our expectations, wants, and needs throughout the
Decisions to Surrogacy
I decided to fill out an application to become a surrogate after contemplating if this is something I really wanted to do. Personally, knowing the NYSC team, you are in great hands working with individuals who truly care and want the best outcome. To say they are amazing and compassionate is an understatement. Once you work with them, you’ll just know this is the right agency to walk you through every step. While that had a lot to do with our decision, it still took me 6 months to decide with my husband if this was the right decision for
My Surrogacy Journey
My surrogacy journey began in October. I had a friend of a friend reach out to me about being their surrogate. Becoming a surrogate was something that had crossed my mind before. I already had two children and loved being pregnant but didn’t know exactly the process of becoming one. After some communication back and forth and lunch with the intended parents I started the process and my journey to becoming a surrogate began. I considered the first half of the process ‘phase one’. During phase one I had to get clearance and approval with my own doctors. I scheduled
The Start of My Surrogacy Journey
In October 2022 I decided to pursue my dream of becoming a surrogate. I initially started by doing a survey/screening to see if I was even eligible to become a surrogate. On October 28th I had a phone interview/screening with my advocate from Surrogacy Is and I was 100% eligible to become a surrogate! By November 2nd I was offered to pick between 2 agencies to decide who I wanted to work with on my surrogate journey, I chose New York Surrogacy Center as they stood out most to me. They are smaller and newer but very involved with each
The Process of Going Through Medical and Psychological Clearances
The match was official and we were all ready for medical & psychological screening. Honestly, I wasn’t too worried about what to expect. I am a huge advocate for counseling and therapy just to maintain a healthy mental state. However, I was nervous about actually completing a psych evaluation for the first time with my spouse. Let’s be honest, we are a lot more open and honest when it’s just yourself and the therapist. It took no time to get scheduled for the psych evaluation. This eased the process with eliminating the worrying while waiting. Our session was via “Zoom.”
Our Long(ish) Road to Medical Clearance
During our pre-match meeting with Matt & Kyle, Joe mentioned I'd need a current physical from my PCP's office stating that I was, in their opinion, in tip-top shape and a candidate for surrogacy. I also had asked Matt & Kyle if they had a preference for me to wait to get my Covid booster during the pregnancy (I had been holding off in case they did). The next day, I got my booster at my workplace and called and scheduled my physical. My physician was booked out for over a year but I was able to get in with
Medical and Psychological Screening
Our match has been made and now it is time to put in some work. Up next is the medical and psychological screening. Starting the medical screening was a bit overwhelming, but thankfully Joe and Melissa with NYSC were awesome and assisted me through the process. The agency helped find and connect me with a monitoring fertility clinic in my state. Once I was connected with an agency, we set up an appointment based on my cycle. My husband came with me to my appointment and it was way less intimidating than I thought it would be. I had a
