What Are the Top 5 Questions Intended Parents Have in Oklahoma?
Are you a gestational surrogate from Oklahoma and wondering about gestational surrogacy? Are you looking to help start a family but don’t know where to start? At Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Oklahoma, we help both surrogate mothers and intended parents on their respective journeys. If you are a gestational carrier and looking to start your surrogacy process, you may have some questions as to what your role may look like and the role of the intended parents you are matched with. Read on below to learn more about what gestational surrogacy looks like for you and for intended parents.
1 – What is Gestational Surrogacy for Surrogates and Intended Parents?
It’s important for both you as the surrogate mother and for intended parents to know what gestational surrogacy is and your different roles in the process. In addition, it’s important to know that gestational surrogacy is a life-changing decision and that it’s a beautiful, emotional, complex process.
When you decide to use surrogacy as your option to help start a family, it means you are choosing to carry someone else’s baby. This process is done through in vitro fertilization, otherwise known as IVF, which means that intended parents provide their sperm and egg fertilized in a lab. However, if they are an individual looking to become a parent, they can use donor sperm or egg to be fertilized.
It’s extremely important to know the basics of this process because it means that you, as the surrogate mother, are not biologically related to the child you carry. Your responsibility is carrying the child and delivering them! Because of the legal documentation done beforehand, it’s important for every party involved to know that you do not have any parental claim or responsibility to the child you carry.
2 – How Does the Gestational Surrogacy Process in Oklahoma Work for You and Intended Parents?
What is the gestational surrogacy process like in Oklahoma for you and your intended parents? There are several stages of the process before pregnancy. First, be prepared for the screening process, including psychological examinations, background checks, and a physical exam for both intended parents and you. This is to make sure everyone involved is healthy both physically and mentally before starting the process. You must pass these first before becoming matched to your intended parent(s).
After you complete screenings, you will be matched to an intended parent or couple. This is done through compatibility factors and preferences provided to Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Oklahoma during interviews.
Once you are matched, you then begin the final stage before IVF, which is legal agreements. Both the intended parents’ attorney and your attorney will go over the surrogacy contract to sign. This is to make sure all parties are on the same page, and everyone stays protected throughout the process.
You will then go onto the IVF stage, in which the intended father provides his sperm and the intended mother provides her eggs for fertilization. Individuals looking to become an intended parent can use a sperm or egg donor to make the embryo. This process may take several rounds to make sure it is successful for you to become pregnant.
There is no set time in which this process takes and can range to up to several months or years. This is due to the steps needed to take before pregnancy to ensure everyone’s physical and mental well-being and protection to make it a smooth and safe surrogacy process.
3 – What Are Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Oklahoma’s Requirements for Intended Parents and Surrogate Mothers?
When you are hoping to become a surrogate mother, you need to fulfill a set of requirements beforehand to ensure a safe and healthy pregnancy for both you and the child you carry. Here are some requirements below, but not limited to:
- Have had a previous successful pregnancy. This means you are actively parenting a child of your own. Your previous pregnancy must have been without any complications.
- You must be physically healthy, but also mentally as well. This means you must pass a physical examination and a psychological evaluation.
- You also must pass a background check and not have a criminal record.
- Be between the ages of 21 to 39 and are a U.S citizen.
The same is also true for intended parents. Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Oklahoma also requires intended parents to fulfill certain requirements beforehand as well such as:
- Pass a background check without a criminal record, psychological examination, and medical screenings
- Be financially stable and have reliable and safe housing
- Meet all paperwork deadlines
- If an intended couple, both parents must be on board with surrogacy
- Respect the surrogate mother, be able to compensate her, and be aware of her boundaries
- Be informed on what gestational surrogacy is
4 – How Expensive is Gestational Surrogacy in Oklahoma?
It is important to know that intended parents are financially responsible for your doctor’s appointments, medical screenings, legal and professional expenses, as well as your compensation. If you have any questions or concerns regarding finances, Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Oklahoma is here to provide resources to help you and the intended parents you are matched with.
What Else Should You and Intended Parents Know?
As a surrogate mother, you are about to embark on a life-changing journey with the intended parents you are matched with. This process is an emotionally charged and beautiful experience for all involved. Be sure to check out Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Oklahoma’s blog and website for any more questions or concerns on the surrogacy process. We are committed to ensuring families of all shapes and backgrounds are created, so reach out to our highly-trained professionals for any support you may need.
Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Oklahoma is a surrogacy and adoption agency, licensed by the state of Oklahoma and leader in the community. We assist both intended parents and gestational carriers (surrogates). Our staff members are committed to providing an ethical, empowering, and personalized experience to all involved in the surrogacy process.
Toll-free: 800-898-6028 | OKC Local: 405-755-1999 | Tulsa Local: 918-447-7777 | Text: 405-310-8790 | Email
Meet the Author: Katie Doherty is a junior Writing, Literature, and Publishing major at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. She loves to write, read, and edit, whether it’s technical or creative writing. Although she enjoys writing poetry, narrative nonfiction, and fiction writing, she also loves to write on current political events, cultural trends, and research. She spends her free time listening to music, watching the Great British Bake Off, and learning how to crochet.