The mark of great friendship is doing something selflessly for the benefit of another. By this standard, women who choose to pursue surrogacy are perhaps the greatest friends in the world. Surrogacy for a friend is a complicated, emotional process that requires both parties to be committed. How do I know if it's right for me? The question arises: how to become a surrogate for a friend? If a friend has approached you about being a surrogate mother for them, you may be excited at the opportunity. You’ve likely seen your friend endure the hardship of infertility and know how much they crave parenthood—this could be their chance! Helping other parents achieve their parenting goals may seem like a dream come true.

Although many women wish they could be surrogates, only a few are willing to meet the stringent requirements set by surrogate agencies.

By following these requirements, you can protect your health and help ensure that intended parents will be able to have a child after their first embryo transfer process.

• Age range 21-38
• BMI of 19-32
• No smoking, illicit drug use or exposure to secondhand smoke
• At least one successful pregnancy and currently raising a child
• No major complications from previous pregnancies

When you realize that becoming a gestational carrier is right for you, your next step probably will be asking yourself, “How can I become a surrogate mother for my friend?”

If both you and your friend are 100-percent committed to becoming a surrogate, there are some steps you’ll need to take in order for the process of creating an embryo through in vitro fertilization (IVF) can begin: 

How To Become A Surrogate For A Friend: Find A Surrogacy Specialist

So, once again how to be a surrogate mother for a friend? While you can become a surrogate mother for your best friend even without professional help, it is always wise to work with surrogacy professionals. You will need to work with a fertility clinic and an attorney—but also consider working with an agency that specializes in helping people find or provide surrogates.

Surrogacy agencies, unlike fertility clinics and attorneys, will assist you with every aspect of your surrogacy—not just those that relate to their particular area(s) of expertise.

An agency will make sure that all of your surrogacy-related paperwork is in order, coordinate with other professionals involved in the process, and provide support whenever you need it.

Even though you are doing it as a favor to your friend, being a gestational surrogate is still very much an involved process.

How To Be A Surrogate Mother For A Friend: Undergo Screening And Assessment

Both parties in the surrogacy process must complete background, medical and mental health screenings before being approved for their roles. These assessments make sure that both intended parents and gestational carriers are prepared for what lies ahead of them during the pregnancy period.

If you complete this screening ahead of time, the chances that a planned surrogacy will fail later on—because an embryo transfer will not implant or intended parents decide to change their mind—are reduced. Surrogacy professionals will not begin the medical process of surrogacy until these screenings have been completed, even if you are trying to be a surrogate mother for a friend.

How Do I Become A Surrogate Mother For A Friend: Surrogacy Contract 

Before you begin the medical process of becoming a surrogate for your friend, there is one more step: creating and signing a surrogacy contract. A well-written surrogacy agreement is a must for anyone contemplating this process. 

A friend’s insistence that you serve as a surrogate does not relieve them of the responsibility to hire an attorney and create legal documents protecting both parties.

Hopefully we were able to explain how to be a surrogate for a friend. It was important for us to show that, by and large, in legal terms, surrogate travel for a friend or not is not very different.