In today’s surrogacy landscape, many women who feel called to help build families are surprised to learn how restrictive some surrogacy programs can be in Canada. Strict surrogate requirements, inflexible medical guidelines, and rigid eligibility checklists often leave qualified, capable women feeling discouraged before their journey even begins.
In our surrogacy program, we believe there is a better way.
We recognize that every woman considering surrogacy is an individual, with her own story, health profile, family life, and motivations. Rather than relying solely on hard and fast rules, we take a thoughtful, case-by-case approach to surrogate eligibility—because real people do not fit neatly into predetermined boxes.
The Reality of Traditional Surrogacy Requirements
Many surrogacy agencies operate under strict criteria that leave little room for nuance or professional judgment. Some of the most common requirements include:
- Narrow BMI limits, often excluding women who are otherwise healthy
- Mandatory prior birth history, requiring uncomplicated pregnancies and births
- Rigid age cutoffs with no flexibility regardless of history
- Minimal tolerance for non-traditional family structures or life circumstances
While these standards are often presented as industry norms, they don’t always reflect the full picture of a woman’s ability to be a successful gestational surrogate. BMI, for example, is a single data point—not a complete assessment of health, lifestyle, or pregnancy potential. Likewise, a woman without prior birth history may still be physically, emotionally, and mentally well-prepared for surrogacy.
Unfortunately, many programs never take the time to learn why a woman wants to become a surrogate or what she brings to the journey beyond a checklist.
A Human-Centered Approach to Becoming a Surrogate
Our program was founded on the belief that surrogacy is deeply personal, and the process of becoming a surrogate should reflect that. Instead of asking women to simply meet rigid criteria, we ask them to share their story and purpose for coming to surrogacy.
We look at the whole person:
- Overall health and wellness
- Emotional readiness
- Support systems at home
- Personal motivations for pursuing surrogacy
- Life experience, maturity, and stability
This holistic approach allows us to make informed, ethical decisions that benefit both surrogates and intended parents—without unnecessarily excluding women who could thrive in this role.
Industry Trend Setters: Challenging the Status Quo
We are proud to be trend setters in the surrogacy industry. At a time when many agencies refused to consider candidates without prior birth history, we were the first surrogacy program to thoughtfully and successfully work with surrogates who had not previously carried a pregnancy.
Why? Because we recognized that birth history alone does not define capability. Many women today to do not want to have children of their own, but do want to help others build a family. Even though we are aware that without birth history we are going into a pregnancy without some medical history, we also know that first-time pregnancies are not considered high risk simply because it’s their first. We work with egg donors all the time that have never been donors. We also know that one pregnancy and birth doesn’t equate to the same experience the second time. After seven births I know that they were all different and all came with risk. Ironically enough, my first and last birth were the best.
Through careful screening, medical collaboration, and individualized support, we demonstrated that women without prior birth experience could become compassionate, successful gestational carriers. That willingness to evolve, guided by research, experience, and humanity, continues to shape how we approach surrogate matching today. We have one surrogate in our program currently that has no birth history and has just completed a transfer for her couple.
Why Flexibility Benefits Everyone
By moving beyond rigid surrogate requirements, we create better outcomes across the board:
- Surrogates feel respected and heard, rather than judged or dismissed
- Intended parents gain access to a broader, carefully vetted pool of candidates
- The surrogacy process becomes more inclusive, ethical, and sustainable
This doesn’t mean we lower standards—it means we apply them thoughtfully. Medical safety, emotional readiness, and informed consent are always essential. The difference is that we evaluate those factors within the context of a woman’s full life story.
Your Story Matters Here
If you’re researching how to become a surrogate and wondering whether you qualify, we encourage you not to count yourself out based on what you’ve read elsewhere. If you’ve been told your BMI is too high, your background too unconventional, or your lack of birth history disqualifies you, know that those rules are not universal.
In our surrogacy program, your story comes first.
Applying to be a surrogate is not about passing or failing—it’s about starting a conversation. We want to understand who you are, why surrogacy speaks to you, and whether this journey is the right fit for everyone involved.
Because surrogacy isn’t built on checklists alone—it’s built on trust, compassion, and individuality.
And that’s exactly how we approach every woman who reaches out to us.
M(Other) starring Angela