What to know what everyone thinks about becoming a surrogate mother, OR if you have any advice for me.?

I have been look for information about become a surrogate mother and I need some advice or just some general help finding out some more information. I would love to help another family if I can but some of the information I'm finding is so confusingWhat to know what everyone thinks about becoming a surrogate mother, OR if you have any advice for me.?
Medical Eligibility to Become a Surrogate

Potential surrogates are screened to assure they are medically, physically, sociologically and psychologically fit for surrogacy. A successful surrogate candidate will be over the age of 18, and will have delivered at least one infant, at term (9 months), and without major complication. Surrogates must be non-smokers, and must live in smoke free households. The surrogate must have no history of serious or ongong medical conditions. The ability to attend medical office appointments during the treatment cycle and pregnancy must be assured. Surrogates must be financially secure. Surrogacy should not be looked at as a primary source of income or support. Partners of surrogates must be similarly suited for the proposed procedure.



Medications and Procedures

A variety of medications and procedures are utilized to assure ongoing high gestational surrogate pregnancy success rates. In gestational surrogacy, menstrual cycles or hormonal status of the mother and the surrogate are ascertained and the cycles of the two women are "synchronized" employing short acting drugs that allow for temporary control of the cycle to be managed by the physician. In most instances, this synchronization will be obtained within one to three weeks of a cycle start. Once control over the cycles has been obtained, the uterus of the surrogate will be programmed to follow the progress of the mother's egg production so that the resulitng embryos can be successfully transfered to the womb of the properly timed and receptive surrogate.







Arrangements will be made for you to undergo a physical and psychological evaluation to assure that becoming pregnant on behalf of a couple poses no physical or emotional threat to you or the pregnancy. Your spouse or partner, if applicable, may be asked to provide a blood sample that will be tested along with your own to assure that results on both are acceptable for program participation.



Following your initial acceptance into the program, the nurse coordinators will suggest to you couples that are in need of a surrogate whose situations seem compatible with your own desires. The nurses will speak to you about the medical and social situations of the couples in general to assist you in understanding why your assistance is needed. In most instances, potential surrogates become rapidly willing to meet with a couple after learning more about their situations. Where geographical concerns arise, couples and surrogates that may live in the same part of the country are often found to make excellent matches. You will be given a prescription for prenatal vitamins at this time, and will be asked to begin taking the vitamins daily.



A meeting will be arranged between you and the potential couple. Just as you will have been informed about the couple, they will have been provided some general information about you. The initial meeting is an informal "meet and get to know you" encounter.



Once an agreement in principal has beeen reached between the couple and the surrogate, the legal requirements related to the surrogacy arrangement will be drafted into a surrogacy contract by an attorney representing the couple. You will be contacted by the attorney as the contract is drafted so that your specific needs related to the arrangement can be taken into account. When the preliminary draft is ready for you to review, you will be given a copy of the contract. You will be asked to select an attorney of your choosing so that this attorney may assist you in reading and understanding the contract. Your attorney will be able to answer any questions you may have, and clarify any points about which you may remain unclear. You will be provided a fixed dollar amount to cover the costs of this attorney. Once all parties are happy with the deatils of the arrangement, signatures will be obtained and the medical portion of the cycle may begin.What to know what everyone thinks about becoming a surrogate mother, OR if you have any advice for me.?
Everything the above poster said, but you also have to consider your children and their ages and understanding. My sister's DIL was a surrogate for someone (stranger and donor embryo) and the younger children (3 and 5) were devastated when she came home without a baby. It is 2.5 years later and she reports that this turned out to be the worst thing she ever did. It wasn't worth the altruistic gesture or the money given the effect it had on these 2 children. She thought they understood that it wasn't her baby.