Learn what is required to qualify as a gestational surrogate

You will experience a pleasant and caring journey with Ukrainian Surrogates Agency thanks to our precise requirements, explicit process and advantageous benefits. You can check out our surrogate candidates’ criteria below.

Surrogate mothers’ requirements:

– Age between 21 and 36 years old;
– Children of her own;
– All pregnancies and deliveries without complications;
– Good endometrium size, 8 mm and more;
– Body Mass Index (BMI) 30 or less;
– Citizen or legal resident of Ukraine (we are very sorry but we cannot accept surrogate candidates who reside in occupied regions of Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk, or from outside of Ukraine where surrogacy is prohibited);
– Police clearance without any criminal records;
– Support of family and friends to help emotionally and physically during pregnancy;
– Travel to IVF clinic for the frozen embryo transfer (FET) process;
– Not use drugs, smoke cigarettes, or abuse alcohol or anti-depressants;
– Leading a stable, responsible lifestyle.

It may seems too much, and too strict, but these guidelines are set forth by the Ministry of Healthcare of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Association for Reproductive Medicine (UARM) and fertility clinics.

This information about you will help us match you with nice and responsible intended parents.

What is surrogacy?

Surrogacy is one of methods of assisted reproductive technologies, supported by a legal agreement, whereby intended parents cooperate with fertility clinic, surrogacy agency, gestational surrogate carriers and egg donor for creating or adopting embryos, implanting them into uterus of the surrogate, who voluntarily carries the child or children until birth for these intended parents who will become the child’s legal parents after the child is born.

How do I know I can be a surrogate?

Women become surrogates because some have a friend or a relative who had reproductive health issues, some desire to help couples experience parenthood, while others just enjoy the feeling of being pregnant so much that they just want to do it again and help people to become parents. Not so important why you are interested in becoming a surrogate, in any case, it is one of the most fundamental and selfless acts you could ever do for someone.

When you decide you want to become a surrogate, you will have to be completely plugged in to your journey. These are simple steps to prepare you for surrogacy process:

– Honestly set your goals of what you expect from your surrogacy journey;
– Establish atmosphere of trust with your surrogacy agency;
– study the process of surrogacy and your obligations;
– Mentally put yourself in a position when you carry a baby for someone else, and after birth you need to say goodbye to the baby and your intended parents, how will you handle that?
– Imagine, what you will tell your children that you are a surrogate?
– Communicate with people who support you, and keep in contact with them.

What are advantages to be a surrogate?

Financially surrogacy is very rewarding, but in addition to that, surrogates perceive incredible feeling of satisfaction, which comes from helping intended parents to bring a child into their family.

Surrogacy has some more benefits for a surrogate:

– You will make the greatest deed possible for another family;
– You can make friends with grateful international intended parents;
– You’ll be greatly taken care of by our professional support team;
– You’ll make complete health checkups during many months at no cost to you.

Ukrainian Surrogates take such a good care of surrogate carriers during your surrogacy journeys, that many of you come to us again and bring your relatives and friends!

Surrogate medical procedures

In order to get pregnant with embryos of other people’s genetics, surrogate carriers will have to take medications before embryo transfer and during first three months of pregnancy.

In the beginning, two weeks before embryo transfer, on a certain day of your cycle, you will start taking medications for endometrium preparation to prepare your uterus for pregnancy by providing two important hormones, estrogen and progesterone. These hormones stimulate women’s natural cycle, help endometrium grow in order to maximize the chances of pregnancy and prevent a miscarriage.

After embryo transfer, a surrogate will go on with taking some medications to support the pregnancy by a strange for her body embryo, usually until successful screening of 1st trimester. Then, after her doctor’s advice, surrogate will stop taking medications and continue with the pregnancy in a natural way.
Surrogacy medications, or pregnancy medications, are pills taken orally, vaginal suppositories or injections, or a combination of all.

FAQs

While you are thinking about the surrogacy process, you have questions, which you can see answered by our experienced managers on staff, who successfully have helped many women throughout their surrogacy journeys.
If you want to know more about surrogacy law, parental rights, fertility issues, or embryo transfer, we have all information you need.

Do I need to have medical insurance?

No. We will pay cost of medical insurance for you for the time of the process of surrogacy.

Why is body-mass index BMI important?

Recommended BMI levels for successful pregnancy are set forth by fertility clinics not only for health reasons, but also to make sure that your body responds adequately to the administered medications.

I do not like selective reduction or abortion. Can I still apply?

It is very rarely that our intended parents would not terminate a pregnancy due to a severe medical diagnosis of the fetus. They definitely prefer to make decisions about their own family. However, you may inquire with our staff on this subject.

How much is surrogates compensation?

Ukrainian Surrogates offer excellent packages for all surrogates carriers with total compensations package over $20,000. You can enjoy highest payments, complete medical and organizational support, respectful service, complete privacy. Your compensation size depend on your health, place of residence, experience as a surrogate before, and the terms outlined in your agreement.

Why do I have to have own children?

You must have given birth without complications to a child of your own in order to make sure that you are able to carry a baby to term before you become a gestational carrier. All require this, the Ministry of healthcare of Ukraine, fertility clinics and intended parents.

I have lactation now. Can I become a surrogate?

If you are breastfeeding, we can organize you personal schedule that works best for you.

What is gestational surrogacy and traditional surrogacy?

Gestational surrogacy is when a surrogate carrier has no genetic link to the child she carries.
Traditional surrogacy is when a surrogate carrier has a genetic link to the child she carries.
Ukrainian Surrogates provides only gestational surrogacy services.

Why shall I choose Ukrainian Surrogates?

Ukrainian Surrogates promise to lead you until successful end of your surrogacy journey and be here for you on every stage of your process as intended parents, surrogates or egg donors. We shall teach, support and direct you continuously all the way down to your goal.

Many surrogates who worked with us became very experienced – some have successfully made three surrogacy journeys! They can share their experience and answer any questions. We offer fast matching process and support to our surrogates all the way and beyond. We will help you throughout your journey making it a pleasant trip, and welcome you when you reach your goal.

Who can be a surrogate mother?

Any adult, capable (sui juris) woman with her own healthy child, in the absence of medical contraindications, and who submitted a voluntary written application of the surrogate mother, may be a surrogate mother. There is no legal age limit, though we usually accept applications from candidates younger than 36 year old for a variety of reasons.

Ukrainian surrogates’ family status is not limited by Ukrainian law; women can be either married, or single, or divorced. We work with any family situation of surrogates candidates.

You will need to provide our surrogates’ manager your endometrium size for a start, visit our office for an interview with our psychologist, contract signature with our lawyer, visit our clinic for medical tests, and be ready to follow sharply IVF clinic protocols of medical treatment.

Some medical indications for surrogacy in Ukraine are:

– absence of uterus (congenital or acquired);
– hypertension;
– inability to carry a child to term;
– deformation of the cavity or cervix in congenital malformations or due to surgery, benign tumors, in which pregnancy is impossible;
– structural-morphological or anatomical changes of the endometrium that lead to loss of receptivity, synechiae of uterine cavity, which is not treatable;
– severe somatic diseases, in which pregnancy threatens the further health or life of the recipient, but which do not affect the health of the unborn child;
– unsuccessful repeated attempts of assisted reproductive technology (4 or more times) with repeated receipt of high quality embryos, the transfer of which did not lead to pregnancy.

Necessary conditions for surrogacy are:

– presence of medical indications for surrogacy, provided above;
– documents required for the surrogacy, provided below;
– spouse (or one of the future parents) in whose interests the surrogacy is performed must have a genetic link with the child;
– surrogate mother should not have a direct genetic link to the child.
Close relatives of future parents (mother, sister, cousin, etc.) may carry the child.

The list of documents required for surrogacy submitted by the surrogate mother:

– application of the surrogate mother;
– a copy of the surrogate mother’s passport;
– a copy of the marriage or divorce certificate of the surrogate mother (except for single women);
– a copy of the child’s birth certificate (children);
– consent of the surrogate mother’s husband to her participation in the surrogacy program (except for single women).

The list of documents required for surrogacy submitted by the intended parents:

– intended parents’ application for the use of assisted reproductive technology;
– copies of passports;
– a copy of the marriage certificate, notarized and apostiled;
– medical reference with statement of medical indications for using assisted reproductive technology surrogacy, notarized and apostiled;
– a notarized copy of a written joint agreement between the surrogate mother and the woman (husband) or both intended parents.