Woman opens up about restrictions from her surrogacy contract: ‘I’d be way too connected to the baby’
An IVF nurse on TikTok named Teale (@tealekelleyy) announced to followers that, after receiving the results from her bloodwork, she — a surrogate — is now pregnant with another couple’s child.
“I couldn’t i’d be way too connected to the baby,” said @saucyquesadilla.
People chimed in with questions about how this changes her life and what kind of restrictions she has as a surrogate.
In The Know by Yahoo spoke to Dr. James Walker, a contracted medical advisor who’s managed patients for over a decade. He said that while restrictions can vary based on the contract between parties or the state where surrogacy occurs, there are a few standard requirements.
According to him, surrogates should be between 21 and 45 years old, shouldn’t have a history of high blood pressure or miscarriages and must be willing to adhere to medical screenings and recommendations.
Teale also posted a separate video breaking down the stipulations laid out for her in the contract she and the family signed.
“As a surrogate, there are some rules that I have to follow,” she said. “They’re very reasonable things though. All of these are in our legal contract and things that I’ve agreed to and the intended parents have agreed to.”
She said she has no specific dietary requirements, but her travel is limited.
“I’m not allowed to travel outside of the United States,” she said. “And then there’s three states in the United States that I’m not allowed to travel to, …but it’s because they are not surrogate-friendly states.”
If she traveled to those states and something were to happen to her, many legal issues would follow.
“A surrogate-unfriendly state refers to a state where surrogacy is either not legal or is heavily restricted,” said Dr. Walker. “In some states, surrogacy contracts are unenforceable, making it difficult for intended parents to establish legal rights to their child.”
Currently, Louisiana, Nebraska and Michigan are not surrogate-friendly states.
The other rule she must follow is that any potential partners would need a test for infectious diseases.
“Other than that, I’m just living my life like I’m normal. I don’t have a bunch of rules and restrictions,” she said. “I really just have to follow the doctor’s orders and do what a pregnant person is supposed to do.”
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