Can You Be a Surrogate if You Have Never Been Pregnant?

Becoming a surrogate is a draw for many women from many different backgrounds. However, regardless of their personal situations, all prospective surrogates must meet certain requirements before they can embark on this life-changing journey. One of these is having had a successful pregnancy and childbirth experience.

However, there is a great deal of misunderstanding about this medical requirement for surrogates. Our surrogacy professionals often get questions such as:

• Can I be a surrogate if I’ve never been pregnant?
• Can a virgin be a surrogate mother?
• I want to become a surrogate, but I haven’t had any children. What can I do?

The requirements surrounding the surrogacy process can be confusing, so we encourage all prospective surrogates to contact our surrogacy professionals at 855-787-2229 for more information. They can answer any questions you have about being a surrogate without a previous pregnancy and whether you qualify for the surrogacy process.

In the meantime, learn more about the realities of becoming a surrogate without a previous pregnancy below.

Why People Want to Become a Surrogate without a Previous Pregnancy

Perhaps you’re a young student and wish to use surrogacy to pay for college. Perhaps a friend or family member has approached you about being their surrogate. Perhaps you have never had a desire to become a mother but wish to use your reproductive abilities to become a surrogate without a previous pregnancy.

These are all common situations for women wondering “Can you be a surrogate without kids?” Often, these women want to give the most selfless gift possible to other intended parents and don’t even consider the fact that a successful pregnancy is a requirement to become a gestational surrogate. Like many people, they simply assume they are young, healthy and fertile enough to carry a pregnancy to term. For them, it seems a no-brainer to use their healthy uterus to help a hopeful parent bring their child into the world.

The feelings of selflessness and generosity are extremely common for prospective surrogates, regardless of their background. In fact, they’re perhaps the most helpful trait to have when you are considering becoming a surrogate in the South or anywhere else in the U.S.

Can You Be a Surrogate If You’ve Never Given Birth?

So, is being a surrogate mother who has never been pregnant a possibility in the South?

In most cases, no — you cannot become a surrogate without a previous pregnancy.

Any safe and secure surrogacy journey requires certain things of both parties. For surrogates, this is proof they can carry a pregnancy safely and successfully to term and give birth to a healthy child. Many surrogacy professionals (including Southern Surrogacy) enforce this standard, which is recommended by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. In fact, certain states in the U.S. have included this requirement in their surrogacy laws, as well.

While you may hear stories about women who have become a surrogate mother with no children of their own, and you may even find information about how to become a surrogate mother without having a child, know that these paths are extremely risky to take — for you and your intended parents. A guided surrogacy journey with a professional after you meet surrogacy requirements is far and beyond the best way to help intended parents achieve their family-building dreams.

Why Surrogacy Without a Prior Pregnancy Isn’t Possible

When women like you have a deep desire to help intended parents but have not yet carried a pregnancy to term themselves, they often ask us, “Why can’t your first time having a baby be as a surrogate mother?”

As mentioned before, the pregnancy requirements to become a surrogate exist to protect the interests of the intended parents and the surrogate. Remember, many intended parents have spent months or years (and thousands of dollars) on trying to become pregnant themselves. Therefore, to put more time and money into a family-building process, they want proof that it can succeed. If they work with a surrogate without a previous pregnancy, they have no guarantee that she will become pregnant or successfully carry a child to term — no matter her current age or overall health.

Having a pregnancy experience before becoming a surrogate is equally important to a gestational carrier. Pregnancy and surrogacy are complicated journeys, both physically and emotionally. If you have never been pregnant before, you will have no idea what to expect, including the emotions you’ll feel after you give birth and hand the child over to their intended parents. Therefore, you can’t practically agree to a surrogate pregnancy, as you will have no concept of what you are actually committing yourself to. You will also accept more risks than a gestational surrogate who has been pregnant before, because you won’t know what kind of pregnancy complications and conditions you are especially vulnerable to until they occur.

On that same note, every woman who pursues surrogacy takes on the risk of losing her reproductive organs and abilities. If you haven’t yet had a child yet, becoming a surrogate could put you at risk for never having a biological child. Even if you think you’ll never want to become a mother yourself, this risk is a big one to take one — and you’ll never know if you will decide to change your mind later.

If you wish to know how to become a surrogate mother without having a child, Southern Surrogacy and most surrogacy professionals cannot help you. However, you can always become a surrogate again later in life, should you successfully carry a child to term. When that day comes, our surrogacy professionals will be waiting to help you start this life-changing journey.