After matching, the next step in any surrogacy journey is surrogate medical clearance. This process involves both a surrogate and her partner and ensures that she is physically and mentally ready to carry as a surrogate. We are thrilled that our clinic, Create Fertility Centre, has cleared Ashley to begin the process of getting ready for a transfer!
What is involved in medical clearance?
For Ashley, medical clearance involved traveling to our fertility clinic for a number of tests. Since she lives a few hours away from our clinic, this meant an early morning drive to Toronto. We opted to join her downtown for the day (hanging out in the waiting room between tests + a quick lunch afterwards). Attending appointments isn't something all intended parents do, but since we're close with Ashley and our clinic is within driving distance, we wanted to get some face time in and hang out.
In terms of tests - Ashley underwent bloodwork as well as a full pelvic ultrasound. These were all tests she'd been through in the past on our first journey together, so she knew what to expect going in.
Why does a surrogate's partner need to get tested?
Ashley's husband Jeff is a valued member of Team Baby Colt in many ways. He's Ashley's #1 support person, an anchor of their family, and our cheerleader and friend. From a medical standpoint though, he's also an important person for the doctors to consider. When a surrogate has a spouse or partner in the picture, it's important that the doctor knows they're healthy and don't have anything that can pass along to a baby during pregnancy. For this reason, a surrogate's partner also goes through bloodwork and urine analysis prior during the medical clearance portion of a surrogacy journey. (Thanks Jeff!)
Who pays for what?
Intended parents ensure that a surrogate and her family are not out any money during the entire surrogacy process. When there are surrogacy-related costs, like the cost of bringing a surrogate in to a clinic for screening, intended parents pay for any required testing, as well as reimbursing for gas and mileage, lunch, and another other small costs that come up.
What's next?
Now that we've got medical clearance, we get to move on to legal contracts! We had great support during our first journey from our lawyer Sara Cohen, so we'll be working with her again. Ashley worked with Lisa Feldstein from Family Health Law in our previous journey, who will be helping her by reviewing the contract with her from the surrogate side.
Even though medical clearance is just one of many hurdles to clear in a surrogacy journey, it's nice to have it behind us. Knowing we've been given the approval to move forward is a huge weight off our shoulders and a great way to start off the summer.
While it can feel like there are a thousand 'mini milestones' in a surrogacy journey before a baby actually arrives, I'm of the opinion that we should celebrate each one of them. Nothing is guaranteed in life or in surrogacy, so every step in the right direction is worth smiling about. Here's to us being one step closer to meeting our next baby!
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