Amy is among the Forward Fertility gestational carriers who are strongly motivated to help others. Photo taken at a surrogate meet up before the coronavirus outbreak.

The most common reasons why women become gestational carriers:

• Many women become gestational carriers after someone they know struggled with fertility. Seeing how difficult infertility can be leads them to help others.
• Most gestational carrier applicants LOVED being pregnant, but are done with growing their own family. Why not help others?
• Many women love being moms and want others to have a way to experience parenthood.
• Some stay-at-home moms love the ability to earn income and continue caring for their children.
• For most gestational carriers, they appreciate the supplemental compensation to help their family achieve their goals of buying a home, paying off student loans, or going on a special vacation. If financial compensation is your only motivation, however, being a gestational carrier is probably not ideal for you.
• Some gestational carriers want to help gay men become dads as an act of justice and equality.

Surrogacy has deep rewards

Carrying a baby for someone else is one of the most profound gifts a woman can give. If you enjoy being pregnant and are healthy, being a gestational carrier (often commonly referred to as a surrogate) for a couple who could not otherwise have a baby is likely to be a deeply rewarding experience for you.

Gestational carriers are compensated for the risks they take on and most surrogates find the emotional rewards to be much greater and deeper than they had ever imagined.

It also has responsibilities and risks

The rewards of surrogacy are great. However, carrying a pregnancy for someone else comes with serious responsibility as well. With each gestational carrier applicant, Forward Fertility strives to create the best match with a couple in need. Knowing yourself is a critical first step toward that goal.

Maturity, excellent communication skills, emotional stability and a flexible schedule that allows for required medical visits are all necessary. While you are not required to have a partner in the process, you must have a committed support network of family, friends, and colleagues to provide help along the way. Read more Q&As with supportive partners of Forward Fertility gestational carriers on our website.

Being pregnant does have risks to your health and you must be willing to accept those risks for you and your family. Part of the application process is meeting with your own health care provider to understand if a subsequent pregnancy is a good idea for you, based on your health history. Being pregnant as a gestational carrier for other people has special emotional and psychological challenges and it is important for you to weigh these as well. Being a gestational carrier includes protecting your rights with a legal agreement.

For answers to common questions about being a gestational carrier, visit Forward Fertility’s FAQ page.

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