You’ve officially made it to your surrogate medical screening! While this medical screening may feel a tad nerve-wracking, it is a vital step in the surrogacy process that ensures that you are ready to take not only the pregnancy but the medications required to have a successful transfer as well.
Before we get started, it is important to note that every surrogate medical screening will vary depending on your Intended Parents’ clinic’s unique criteria. That said, we have broken down the various parts of what we see most often in medical screening appointments so that you can fully understand what is to come.
During your surrogate medical screening, you can expect to experience the following:
Bloodwork – Your clinic is not only going to want to know your blood type, but also ensure that you are free of any infectious diseases, and check to ensure that you are in great health. They will also be checking your hormone levels so that they can get a baseline to know what your body does on its own, without the added hormones to come.
Urine sample – This sample will again check for any abnormalities, or infectious disease, and on top of that it will also serve as a drug screen.
Sonohysterogram (Saline sonogram/ SIS) – Most commonly referred to as a saline insertion sonogram or SIS, this is a simple procedure where your uterus is filled with saline using ultrasound guidance, they are then able to clearly visualize if you have any issues that may need to be addressed prior to an embryo transfer such as polyps, calcifications, fibroids, scarring, blockages, etc.
Meeting with Reproductive Endocrinologist – You will also have a consultation with the fertility specialist, known as a Reproductive Endocrinologist, or RE for short. During this meeting, you and the doctor will discuss your medical history and lifestyle. While it may seem intimidating, it is nothing to fret about!
In addition to your surrogate medical screening, your partner (if applicable) will be required to participate in the clearance process as well by providing a blood sample. This can often be done close to home at a local monitoring clinic. However, some clinics require that your partner attend medical screening and get their bloodwork done at the same time as you.
Again, each clinic has its own set of requirements so don’t worry if your medical screening process looks a bit different than this. Your case manager would be happy to discuss your specific protocol with you anytime!
Once your screening is complete the clinic will either approve you to move forward (if all looks well), or if they do not like some results from your screening this is the time they might deny you to move forward. That being said, you’ve already made it this far, and the clinic has already reviewed your records prior to your medical screening appointment. So it is likely you will be approved to move forward and take the next steps in your surrogacy journey!
Are you interested in becoming a surrogate? Click the button below to take our quiz to see if you qualify!