I want to be a surrogate for my daughter and son-in-law

by Barbara
(California)

I want to know if there is an age limit to become a surrogate. I am 67 years old and have a great desire to help my daughter and son-in-law become parents. I didn’t think of doing this before because I was overweight, diabetic and on blood pressuse medication. I have lost 84 lbs to date and my health is thriving. No need for diabetic meds and half dose of blood pressure and colestral meds.

My daughter has tried IVF at least eight times in the past 15-yrs with no success. Her sister even tried 2-times for her but was not successful either.

All of my pregancies were without any problems, except for a little morning sickness for the first three months. The longest labor I ever had was 4-hours and all babies were delivered vaginally.

I go to the pool 2-times a week for exercise and also use a recumbent bike a couple times a week.

Do you know of any IVF clinic that would accept someone my age?

Reply by Rayven
Many mothers are helping their sons and daughters become parents by offering to become a gestational surrogate mother for them. It is a very generous gift a mother can give to her own child.

It is, however, more and more uncommon as a mother/grandmother ages. Most mothers who offer this are in their 50’s or very early 60’s. IVF becomes uncommon for those in their late 60’s, with only a handful of clinics in the world willing to assist a woman in her late 60’s go through IVF. In fact, the oldest IVF mother to date (I believe) was 69.

Is it possible? Yes. Would it be difficult to accomplish? Yes. Are there clinics in the US willing to do it? I’m really not sure; you might need to go international, which would prove very difficult with surrogacy as each country has different laws regarding surrogacy, and its illegal in many countries. It will be very difficult for you to find a clinic that is willing to assist you.

My suggestion, if you would like to proceed with this, is first to get clearance from your GYN that you are capable of another pregnancy at your age, and then to research older IVF mothers online and find out what clinics they used. Go from there.

Keep in mind that there is a reason our bodies do not allow us to get pregnant again as we age. Its hard on them! And its risky for you, perhaps too risky. If your GYN does not feel that you would be capable of another successful pregnancy, please reconsider the possibility that perhaps an unrelated surrogate mother might be a better option for your family.

As always, best wishes to you!

Posted in Ask a Surrogate.