Intended Parent Legal Services: What Is Medical Clearance?

The journey of adoptive parents and surrogates can be a long and complex one that requires time and attention. The steps involved are usually put into place to help protect the individuals, including the Child. One of the first steps that happen in the surrogacy process is medical clearance. Learn more about what medical clearance is and why it’s necessary through Intended Parent Legal Services.

What is Medical Clearance with Surrogacy?

Medical clearance is a medical screening that evaluates the health of the surrogate. Pregnancy can be very hard on a woman’s body, and it’s necessary to determine whether or not a surrogate is ready to carry a baby. Think of it like a medical examination that an athlete has to decide whether they are healthy enough to go back out into the big game after getting knocked down.

Medical Clearance Process for Surrogates

There are several tests and screenings that are involved in the medical clearance process with some being somewhat routine and others that are more specialized. Some of the exams you can expect to go through as a surrogate include:

• a routine physical and pap smear in the same manner as a yearly checkup
• bloodwork that looks for infectious diseases
• a saline sonogram that looks for fibroids or other potential issues inside the uterus along with examining the lining of the uterus
• a hysteroscopy, which is a scope that examines the fallopian tubes and the uterus through the cervix

There may be other tests involved in your medical clearance required by the fertility clinic that you use or are based on your prior medical history. Also, keep in mind that if you’re in a relationship, your partner will also have to go through testing.

All of these tests have the intention of protecting your health through the surrogate pregnancy along with the health of the child.

Medical Clearance Process for Intended Parents

Intended parents may also go through a medical clearance process, especially if they are using their own genetic material rather than donor material. This process typically looks for any potential genetic issues along with any infectious diseases that could be passed on to the embryo. The health of any babies born through this process is the primary concern.

Becoming Medically Cleared

There are a lot of times when you’ll be playing the waiting game during the surrogacy process. It can take about two business weeks to get the lab results back regarding everyone’s testing. As long as there are no surprises on the test results, all parties will be medically cleared, and the next step in the surrogacy timeline will be started. Intended Parent Legal Services can help to guide you through this step.

Are you considering surrogacy and worried about all of the different steps involved? Do you want to be a surrogate, but aren’t sure about your rights in this process? Intended parents and surrogates can contact us today about Intended Parent Legal Services to discuss your situation. You can have your questions answered about the process and learn more about what to expect.