Are you a woman without kids of your own but desire to become a surrogate?

Surrogacy is undoubtedly one of the most selfless acts you can engage in. It’s an opportunity to help a couple start or grow a family.

Thousands of women across the country step up each year to act as gestational carriers.

While their reasons for helping are as vast as the east is from the west, there is one thread that is common to all of them. And that is they have all given birth before and had healthy pregnancies in the past.

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

Unfortunately, no. It is not possible to be a surrogate without having children before.

Here’s why.

Top Surrogacy Requirements

Women desiring to become surrogates are screened by fertility clinics and surrogacy agencies to determine whether they are appropriate surrogacy candidates or not.

The major surrogacy requirements demanded by top surrogacy agencies are:

The woman must have carried a pregnancy to term and had a successful delivery
The woman must be raising a child or children that she has given birth to herself
The woman must have no history of complicated pregnancies and deliveries

A woman’s medical history is extremely important as it will assist doctors in knowing her risk level if she were to pursue surrogacy.

Why Is a Previous Pregnancy Required?

Without history as a biological mother or pregnancy experience upon which to determine if a woman can indeed give birth, reproductive endocrinologists, fertility clinics and surrogacy agencies are reluctant to take on board such a woman to become a surrogate.

The main reason for refusing to work with women who have never given birth is to protect the hopeful surrogate’s physical and emotional well-being.

Without a personal reference point, such women may develop maternal attachments to the baby they are carrying. Hence the need for a mature woman who is happy with her own children and motherhood.

Alternatives to Becoming a Surrogate Without Kids

Does this mean that a woman without kids cannot help in any way? No. There are other ways in which she can be of assistance.

For example, she may donate her eggs.

If she is really set on becoming a surrogate, she can have a child of her own first and then pursue surrogacy afterward as long as her own pregnancy was without complication.