While surrogacy is a growing family-building process, it’s still a fairly new one. When you choose to become a surrogate, you may be the first person you know to pursue this process.
If this is the case, how do you learn more about the surrogacy process from someone who’s actually been through it — and can provide personal experience to help you decide on this path?
Fortunately, there is a wealth of surrogate support groups and resources available for women like you. Surrogates across the country (and around the world) have recognized the importance of speaking with other women in the same situation, not only to learn more about the process but also to provide a personal support system that family, friends and even surrogacy professionals sometimes cannot offer.
No matter where you live, you can access these surrogate support groups and resources on the internet. A great deal of information is available at your fingertips when you go online, and you can have your questions answered by someone who understands the process from your perspective.
Remember, your surrogacy specialist will be able to refer you to additional local resources, as well as provide free counseling and case management throughout your surrogacy journey. But, whether you are considering the surrogacy process or already starting on your surrogacy path, hearing from other women like you can be the best resource.
Keep in mind: Information found online can be inaccurate or may not always apply to your personal surrogacy journey. That being said, start by checking out these helpful resources for surrogates like you:
This website provides you the chance to connect with former and current surrogates to learn more about the surrogacy process and help you decide whether it’s the right choice for you. You can search surrogacy classifieds to find intended parents and surrogacy professionals, participate in message boards and even view sample surrogacy contracts and informational articles from surrogacy experts.
Like Surrogate Mothers Online, All About Surrogacy is a great online resource for prospective and current surrogates. Intended parents and egg donors also utilize this website, so you will find a wide variety of information and views about the surrogacy process here.
If you are looking for intended parents, this website can help you connect with some — and with surrogacy professionals. You can also find blogs posts from prospective and former surrogates about their personal surrogacy stories.
There are several social media groups devoted to surrogates (prospective, current and former) and intended parents, and this is the largest one. With more than 11,000 members, the group allows members to post their surrogacy stories and ask any questions they have about the surrogacy process — as well as find potential surrogacy matches and surrogacy professionals.
You can also find more surrogate-specific groups through Facebook’s “search” function and even narrow them down based on location.
Similarly, this group offers a chance for surrogates, intended parents and egg donors to connect, share their stories and ask any questions they have.
While there is certainly the chance to ask questions in this group, the main focus of the intended parents and surrogates in this group is to find a match for the surrogacy process.
This is yet another Facebook group designed to help members of the surrogacy process connect, including surrogacy professionals.
Virtual groups can be extremely helpful for finding a sense of community for a process that’s still new and rapidly advancing. However, you can always ask your surrogacy professional to see if they can connect you to any current or former surrogates who are located near you so you can have an in-person relationship with another surrogate, as well.
No matter where you find it, support during your surrogacy process is instrumental. Often, only another surrogate can fully understand exactly what you are going through and provide the support and education you need. Don’t hesitate to ask for guidance whenever you need it, and your surrogacy process will be much more successful.