What are the criteria for becoming a surrogate mother?
A potential surrogate mother must be in good overall health and be able to undergo a pregnancy with the minimum amount of risk to her own health. Some medical conditions will prevent a woman becoming a surrogate mother, for example, if there are any known medical problems which could lead to complications with the pregnancy, or put the woman at risk. Also those who are considerably overweight, are heavy smokers, drinkers or substance abusers are not suitable as surrogate mothers because of the associated risks both to the woman and the baby. As the risks of illness and problems are much higher in the first pregnancy it is strongly recommended that surrogate mothers should have borne at least one child previously and preferably have completed her own family. This also means that the woman is able to give her informed consent to the arrangement, since a woman who has experienced pregnancy prior to the surrogacy arrangement has that knowledge on which to base her decision. Only in very ex
