Medical Records
Before things can get started, if there are any concerns for you to move forward when it comes to your medical records, there might be a need for a medical clearance letter from your OBGYN. Being able to get the clearance letter from your doctor may not be as easy as it sounds, and usually presents a lot of internal matters to be resolved.
Medical and Physical Screening
You got matched! Congratulations! And this feeling of accomplishment just rushes through you. The waiting time is over—you think…
Now that you are matched, you must go through a medical and a psychological screening process. These are done to ensure that you are physically and mentally ready to carry someone else’s child. What the medical screening involves is several exams and tests such as a pap smear, a physical exam, blood work, etc. These tests are usually done waiting for your menstrual cycle to come; they are done around day four through day twelve of your cycle. If the window of opportunity is missed, you then have to wait until next month, and this means having to wait some more and having the process prolonged.
There are also ultrasounds involved and FDA regulations that need to be considered, and there is also a waiting time for the results of these to come back. They take around two weeks or so. Please do not get discouraged when going through these steps because what really matters is being able to give a family a healthy, beautiful baby.
Your Partner
If you have a husband/partner, then your husband/partner also must go through the blood tests as well. If they don’t go along with you for your test to be done together, then they need to go another day. Since they also need to get medical clearance, this will take time as well.
Legal Documents
After you have been matched and have done your medical and psychological screening, the legal arrangements begin. An engagement letter is drafted; this is to protect all the parties involved in the process, including you, your Intended Parents and both parties’ lawyers. This letter has to be reviewed and signed by both parties and given that the Intended Parents are usually international, this may take around three to four weeks.
Once this is done and both parties have signed the engagement letters, next the legal contract gets to be drafted. The contract is one of the most important steps during the process. Each party gets to prescribe every detail regarding the pregnancy. Here is where you as a Surrogate can also ask to put conditions you require from your Intended Parents. Remember this is a contract that needs to be signed in agreement from all parties for things to run smoothly for what is left of this amazing Surrogacy Journey. Drafting the contract can take around two to three weeks.
Subsequently, you are now legally cleared. But… there is a waiting period of around four to eight weeks after the contracts have been signed. You are ready to officially start with your much waited for Surrogacy Journey!
