To begin your journey of helping someone else finally become a parent, there are specific requirements to be a surrogate in Alaska.

It is important to know that even if you don’t currently meet the requirements for surrogacy, following corrective action, you may eventually meet the qualifications to become a surrogate mother.

By contacting one of our surrogacy specialists, you can learn more about the requirements and which agencies provide the best support to surrogates. 

The Three Main Qualifications for Surrogacy in Alaska

Although qualifications vary from agency to agency, many follow the general guidelines of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Agencies set requirements for the qualification of surrogacy to protect surrogates by ensuring that surrogates are likely to be successful. This protects surrogates by preventing them from taking on undue risk to themselves.

Physical Requirements for Surrogacy in Alaska

Being pregnant invariably has some associated health risks. For example, how old can a surrogate be? Being physically healthy is a great determiner of a surrogate’s likelihood to carry a baby to term successfully. Surrogacy agencies protect you and the intended families by ensuring you are physically healthy. It would be unethical for a surrogacy agency to encourage a surrogate to take undue risk.

Although surrogacy requirements vary from agency to agency, there are some general basic health requirements:

• Be at least 21 years old and younger than 40
• Have a healthy BMI, as determined by your doctor
• Have carried at least one pregnancy successfully to term
• No major complications in your previous pregnancies
• Be off antidepressants or anti-anxiety medication for 12 months
• Have no new tattoos or piercings within 12 months of starting the process

You may be an excellent fit as a surrogate if you meet these general requirements. Even if you don’t meet these requirements, you should still reach out to a surrogacy agency – they may be able to make a case-by-case basis qualification or work with you once you finally meet the physical requirements.

Other Health Considerations for Surrogacy in Alaska

You may wonder if you qualify for surrogacy if you have conditions like STIs (e.g., herpes) or if you have gestational diabetes. To answer these questions, American Surrogacy is an agency that excels at guiding surrogates through the qualification process.

Can You Be a Surrogate If You Had Gestational Diabetes?

Gestational diabetes is a temporary condition that develops during pregnancy and affects approximately 2-10% of pregnancies. In the context of surrogacy, it can create challenges as it potentially poses risks to both the surrogate and the baby. For the surrogate, it could lead to high blood pressure and preeclampsia, while the baby could experience premature birth and respiratory distress syndrome.

Surrogates with a history of gestational diabetes need to maintain a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and monitor their blood sugar levels to manage this condition effectively. Even though you’ve had gestational diabetes, you can still be a surrogate – it just raises certain risk factors.

Can You Be a Surrogate with Herpes?

Herpes is a highly contagious virus that can be of concern in surrogacy situations. If the surrogate mother has an active outbreak of genital herpes at the time of labor, there’s a risk of the virus being transmitted to the baby, which can lead to severe complications. However, this risk can be managed effectively. Antiviral medications, such as Acyclovir or Valacyclovir, are typically used to suppress the virus, prevent outbreaks, and reduce the risk of transmission. These medications have proven to be safe for use during pregnancy. While herpes doesn’t generally impede a woman’s ability to be a surrogate, the condition must be carefully managed throughout the process.

Psychological Qualifications for Surrogacy in Alaska

In addition to medical qualifications for surrogacy in Alaska, surrogates also have to meet psychological requirements. This requirement also serves to protect surrogates from undue stress or risks. It is important that surrogates are capable of handling the mental toll that pregnancy involves.

This part of the screening involves an emotional and psychological evaluation of the potential surrogate.

Surrogacy requires that you commit yourself to a working relationship of sometimes more than a year with the intended parents and the surrogacy agency. You’ll have to attend multiple doctor’s appointments throughout the process.

Being a surrogate is, in a sense, a full-time job, so you must be prepared for the extra commitments that surrogacy requires of you.

Pregnancy stacks hormonal and physical changes on top of your everyday responsibilities. Surrogacy also carries the potential for a surrogate to become “attached” to the baby that she’s carrying. While it is normal to feel conflicted about your pregnancy, it is important that you’re able to cope with these emotions.

The point of psychological evaluation is to ensure that surrogates can handle the emotional toll required of pregnancy in general and surrogacy in particular. This protects potential surrogates from any undue stress and ensures that they are healthy long after the pregnancy.

Screening Qualifications to Become a Surrogate

Many surrogacy agencies will conduct in-home visits during this part of the screening process. A home study professional will visit you during a home visit. This helps surrogacy agencies better understand you and your fit for surrogacy.

At this step, surrogacy agencies will conduct federal and state background checks. Doing so makes sure that surrogates have no prior felonies or meet whatever background standards are set by the surrogacy agency. This aspect ensures that all surrogacies are safe and secure for all parties involved.

Because the stakes of surrogacy are so important, it is essential that surrogacy agencies are methodical in their selection process.

Next Steps In The Surrogacy Process

After you pass the screening process for surrogacy, you’ll start developing your profile as a surrogate for intended parents to browse. This profile will allow intended parents to find and match with you. The rest of the process begins once you’re matched with an intended family. If you think you may qualify for surrogacy or want clarification, reach out to one of our specialists for more information.