Surrogacy is one of the most generous commitments a person can make. Every year, thousands of women across the country step into the role of gestational carrier and help intended parents build their families. While their stories and motivations are all different, they share one important thing in common: they’ve already been pregnant and given birth before.

Which brings us to the question at hand: can a woman become a surrogate without ever having had children of her own?

The short answer? No, it’s not possible to be a surrogate without having children before.

Before that feels discouraging, let’s look at why this rule exists, what agencies and clinics are really trying to protect and what your options are if you still feel called to help build a family.

Why Is a Previous Pregnancy Required?

If you’ve never been pregnant, it can feel confusing and maybe even discouraging to hear that surrogacy isn’t an option yet. But the requirement exists for a reason, and it’s not to shut anyone out. It’s there to protect you, the intended parents and the baby.

Reputable fertility clinics and agencies (including Joy of Life) typically require surrogates to have carried at least one child to term and have a strong pregnancy history. At Joy of Life, that means:

You’ve given birth to at least one child
You’ve had no more than two C-sections
You’ve had no more than five total deliveries
Your pregnancies and deliveries were free from major complications

There are three key reasons behind this requirement:

1. Pregnancy History Predicts Pregnancy Safety

A previous pregnancy is the most straightforward way for doctors to understand how your body responds to being pregnant: whether your pregnancies were healthy, how you handled labor and delivery, how well your body tolerated the physical demands and what a future pregnancy might look like for you. Without that history, they simply don’t have enough information to know whether a surrogate pregnancy would be safe.

2. Experience Helps Set Clear Expectations

Surrogacy comes with powerful emotions, physical intensity and moments you can’t anticipate. Even the most well-researched woman can’t fully understand pregnancy without experiencing it firsthand. Women who’ve already given birth know:

What it actually feels like day to day
How their emotions shift
What both physical and emotional recovery look like
What it means to carry a child they won’t be raising

Agencies and clinics want surrogates to walk into the journey confident, informed and grounded, not guessing how their body or heart might react. Having been through pregnancy before gives you a complete picture of what you’re saying yes to.

3. Intended Parents Need Reassurance, Too

Intended parents are placing enormous trust in the woman who carries their child, and having a clear pregnancy history gives them a sense of stability. It shows them that you’ve carried safely before, that you understand what pregnancy and postpartum are really like and that you’re emotionally prepared for the unique experience of carrying a baby for someone else.

Questions about the requirements? Talk with our team to understand your next steps.

Other Top Surrogacy Requirements (and Why They Matter)

Beyond having a healthy pregnancy history, there are additional surrogate requirements that agencies follow to protect the well-being of the gestational carrier and create a smooth, legally supported journey for everyone involved.

1. You Must Be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident in a Surrogacy-Friendly State

Surrogacy laws vary across the country, and some states still make compensated surrogacy incredibly difficult, or even flat-out illegal. Joy of Life can’t work with surrogates who live in Louisiana or Nebraska for that reason.

Making sure you live in a surrogacy-friendly state protects you and the intended parents legally, so the journey doesn’t run into preventable complications later on.

2. You Must Be Between 21 and 38 Years Old

This age range has nothing to do with being “old enough” or “young enough.” It’s simply the window where pregnancy is statistically safest, and the body tends to handle the physical demands better.

It also reflects a point in life where most women have enough stability and enough self-awareness to navigate a long, emotionally layered experience like surrogacy with confidence.

3. You Must Have Complete Medical Records From Previous Pregnancies

Your medical records give the fertility team a clear picture of how your past pregnancies actually went, including details even you might not remember years later. They show how your body responded, whether any complications came up and what kind of care would best support you in a future pregnancy.

4. Your BMI Must Be Under 30

This guideline is rooted in safety. A BMI under 30 helps lower the chances of pregnancy-related complications like high blood pressure or gestational diabetes. It helps protect your health during pregnancy and makes the entire process more predictable for everyone involved.

5. You Must Lead a Healthy, Stable Lifestyle

Agencies aren’t looking for perfection — just a solid foundation. Being smoke-free, avoiding drugs, having reliable transportation, keeping medical appointments and having a stable home life all make the surrogacy journey smoother.

Surrogacy asks a lot: time, consistency, emotional steadiness. A healthy, stable lifestyle simply makes it possible to show up fully for the baby and the intended parents while still taking care of yourself.

Alternatives to Becoming a Surrogate Without Kids

Learning that you can’t become a surrogate yet can bring up a mix of emotions, especially if you feel called to help someone grow their family. But not qualifying right now doesn’t mean you can’t make an impact, or that surrogacy is off the table forever.

Here are a few meaningful options to consider:

Consider Egg Donation

If your heart is set on helping someone build their family, egg donation can be another meaningful path to explore. Unlike surrogacy, egg donors don’t need to have been pregnant before, and donating eggs can play a vital role in helping intended parents create embryos. Joy of Life doesn’t coordinate egg donation directly, but many reputable programs do. If this feels like a way you’d like to contribute, it may be worth looking into as an alternative while you wait to qualify for surrogacy in the future.

Support Surrogacy in Other Ways Right Now

Even if you’re not eligible today, you can still be part of the surrogacy community if it’s something you care about. That might look like:

sharing accurate information about surrogacy with others
supporting intended parents or surrogates you know
engaging in surrogacy education and advocacy

Focus on Becoming a Surrogate in the Future

If surrogacy is truly where your heart is, this door isn’t closed. Many women decide to revisit surrogacy after starting their own families.

What matters most is having at least one healthy pregnancy and delivery of your own. Once that’s part of your history, and you meet the other requirements, you can absolutely explore becoming a surrogate.

In the meantime, there are things you can do to set yourself up for a smoother journey later:

Take care of your overall health. Establishing healthy habits now can make future pregnancies easier and lower medical risks.
Stay informed. Learning about the surrogacy process, timelines and expectations helps you make a confident decision when the time comes.
Build a strong support system. Surrogacy works best when you have partners, family, or friends who understand your “why” and can stand behind you.
Check in with yourself emotionally. Understanding your motivations and knowing what draws you to this path helps ensure this is truly the right fit later on.

This isn’t a “not now, not ever.” It’s simply a “not yet.” And for a lot of women, “yet” turns into a deeply fulfilling experience when the time is right.

Hope to Become a Surrogate One Day?

If you’re exploring the idea of becoming a surrogate now or in the future, getting clear, reliable information is the best place to start. Our Joy of Life team is here to answer your questions so you can understand exactly what the journey looks like.

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