Surrogacy is a remarkable journey that brings joy to countless families. Beyond the medical aspects, it’s an emotional roller-coaster for both intended parents and surrogates. Becoming a surrogate in Southern California and beyond requires not only physical, but also mental fortitude.
Understanding the mental health considerations is crucial for everyone involved in the surrogacy process. This comprehensive guide explores the psychological aspects of surrogacy, and how having a history of previous successful pregnancy and delivery can affect the surrogacy screening.
How Surrogacy Affects Your Psychological and Mental Wellbeing
The psychological impact of surrogacy encompasses a broad spectrum of emotional experiences and challenges for gestational surrogates. These impacts are deeply influenced by various factors, including the surrogacy process, fertility treatments, and the physical and emotional demands of carrying a pregnancy for someone else.
Emotional Health
The emotional health of a surrogate can fluctuate significantly throughout the surrogacy process. From the initial joy and pride in helping create a family to the anxiety that may accompany fertility treatments and pregnancy, surrogates ride a rollercoaster of feelings. These emotions are further influenced by the weeks of pregnancy, the surrogate pregnancy experience, and the ultimate delivery—be it a vaginal delivery or cesarean.
Stress From Fertility Treatments
Fertility treatments such as artificial insemination or IVF are pivotal in gestational surrogacy. However, they can be sources of stress and anxiety, heightening concerns over the risk of complications, including miscarriage or gestational diabetes.
Anxiety Over Pregnancy and Health
Pregnancy brings its own set of worries, from potential pregnancy complications like high blood pressure to concerns over the baby’s health, such as the risk of birth defects. Surrogates might also fret about the necessity of medical interventions, including blood transfusion, affecting their mental state.
Postpartum Depression
After delivering a healthy baby, surrogates may encounter feelings of postpartum depression. This period can be challenging, especially as they navigate the complex emotions of parting with the child and returning to their routine without the baby they cared for months.
Grief and Emotional Risks
Despite a previous successful pregnancy and delivery, surrogates may experience feelings of grief and loss. The emotional risks tied to the surrogacy agreement and the surrogate’s responsibilities can contribute to this complex emotional tapestry.
Physical Changes and Mental Health
Physical changes during pregnancy, along with medical conditions that may arise, can significantly impact a surrogate’s mental health. Concerns over the baby’s well-being, including fetal monitoring and prenatal care, can also be a source of anxiety.
Role of Support System
The role of family, friends, and the surrogacy agency is crucial in providing the emotional support needed. This support can make a significant difference in how surrogates manage emotional attachment to the baby and handle societal perceptions of surrogacy.
Finding Fulfillment and Purpose
Despite these challenges, many surrogates find immense fulfillment and purpose in their journey. The act of helping others achieve their dreams of parenthood brings a unique sense of satisfaction and pride.
Mental Health Screening For Surrogates
Meeting the requirements for surrogates involves passing a strict screening process. The screening process begins with an assessment of the surrogate’s overall emotional health. Mental health professionals explore the surrogate’s feelings about undergoing fertility treatments, like artificial insemination or IVF, and their impact on emotional well-being.
This phase assesses the surrogate’s resilience to the stress and anxiety these treatments might induce, especially concerning the risk of complications such as gestational diabetes or high blood pressure.
Assessing Risks and Emotional Preparedness
Professionals delve into the surrogate’s medical history, focusing on their physical health during previous successful pregnancy and delivery and how it influenced their mental state. Understanding the surrogate’s history with pregnancy complications, like premature birth or issues related to amniotic fluid, provides insight into potential emotional risks.
The aim is to gauge the surrogate’s capacity to handle similar challenges, including the emotional toll of possible prenatal diagnosis procedures or the necessity of a cesarean delivery.
Screening for Postpartum Depression Risks
Given the emotional complexities post-delivery, mental health screening also prioritizes assessing the risk of postpartum depression. Surrogates who have experienced emotional health fluctuations after previous vaginal births or cesarean deliveries are closely evaluated. This aspect of screening is crucial, as it helps in planning the necessary support and interventions to navigate feelings of grief or loss effectively.
Evaluating Support Systems
The screening extends to understanding the surrogate’s support system. Mental health professionals explore how family and friends have previously supported the surrogate through the weeks of pregnancy and care during pregnancy. A strong support system is often a buffer against the stressors of the surrogacy journey, including managing a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and adhering to prenatal care routines.
Professional Support and Ongoing Care
Beyond the initial screening, surrogacy agencies commit to providing ongoing mental health support. This includes regular check-ins, access to counseling, and resources to manage the emotional demands of carrying a pregnancy for someone else. Such support is essential for navigating the surrogacy journey, from the early stages of fertility treatments to the post-delivery period.
Importance of Mental Health Screening
This comprehensive approach to mental health screening for surrogates is critical for several reasons. It ensures that surrogates are mentally and emotionally equipped to handle the nuances of gestational surrogacy, from the physical demands of pregnancy to the emotional intricacies of delivering a healthy baby for the intended parents.
Screening helps identify any risk factors that could complicate the surrogate’s emotional well-being, laying the groundwork for a successful pregnancy and a positive surrogacy experience.
Join Our Circle of Support at Southern California Surrogacy
At Southern California Surrogacy, we understand the profound journey of surrogacy and the pivotal role of mental health in ensuring a positive and fulfilling experience. Our comprehensive mental health screening process is designed to support you every step of the way, from the initial application through the joy of delivery and beyond. We believe in nurturing a community where surrogates feel valued, supported, and understood.
If you have a history of previous successful pregnancies and deliveries, and you’re ready to make a significant impact on someone’s life, we invite you to join our surrogacy community. Fill out our surrogate form today to become a surrogate or egg donor!
