Whether you can carry a surrogate pregnancy depends on what kind of hepatitis you’ve had. Resolved infections of hepatitis A usually won’t prevent qualification, but chronic conditions like hepatitis B and C automatically disqualify you.
Fertility clinics evaluate how you have personally been affected by your experiences to protect you throughout your pregnancy. If you work with a surrogacy agency, specialists review your records early to give you a clear path forward, whether or not you qualify for surrogacy.
Hepatitis A vs. B vs. C: How Each Can Affect Surrogate Eligibility
Fertility clinics look closely at how each virus transmits and whether it leaves lasting liver effects. Doctors follow American Society for Reproductive Medicine guidelines to ensure pregnancy remains safe for everyone. These medical standards support your body through gestational strain and protect the baby from preventable infections.
Hepatitis A: Why Past Infection May Not Rule You Out
A past hepatitis A infection rarely prevents you from becoming a gestational carrier. The virus spreads through contaminated food or water and causes a temporary illness.
Your body clears the infection completely and builds lifelong protective antibodies. Fertility clinics readily approve applicants once lab records confirm full recovery and healthy liver function.
Hepatitis B: Clinical Policies and Safety Guidelines
A diagnosis of hepatitis B permanently disqualifies you from becoming a surrogate. The virus spreads through blood and bodily fluids, often leading to a chronic condition. Chronic hepatitis B persists in liver cells and creates long-term health risks for your body.
Carrying a pregnancy places extra metabolic demands on your body and can strain vulnerable liver cells, opening you up to undo risk of deadly infection. The virus also carries a real risk of passing directly to the baby during delivery.
Fertility clinics enforce these disqualifications, sometimes by outright refusal to perform IVF, to safeguard your long-term health and protect the newborn child.
Hepatitis C: Prior Diagnosis and Screening Standards
A history of hepatitis C disqualifies applicants, even after successful, curative antiviral treatment.
Modern medications cure the virus by clearing it completely from your bloodstream, but that does not mean the virus doesn’t linger in soft tissue, and could still put you at risk during a hard pregnancy of pass to the child during delivery. Even with an undetectable viral load, fertility clinics must follow strict regulations.
These guidelines evaluate surrogacy candidates with the same clinical rigor applied to organ and tissue donors. ASRM rules maintain a lifetime exclusion to provide the highest possible safety margin for everyone involved.
Can You Be a Surrogate After Having Hepatitis A?
You can qualify as a surrogate after hepatitis A once your medical records confirm full recovery. Because this illness resolves without causing chronic damage, it leaves no lasting barrier to a healthy pregnancy.
During pre-screening, specialists review liver enzymes known as ALT and AST. These enzymes rise during active inflammation and return to normal levels as liver tissue heals. Normal lab panels confirm complete recovery and verify your readiness for gestation.
What if You Have Hepatitis Antibodies but No Active Infection?
A positive antibody result on lab paperwork can look confusing, but it rarely signals bad news. Antibodies are protective proteins that often show a past vaccine worked successfully. Your qualification depends on which specific antibody marker appears on your infectious disease panel:
- Hepatitis A antibodies (anti-HAV IgG) show protective immunity. Clinics readily approve these results alongside healthy liver panels.
- Hepatitis B surface antibodies (anti-HBs) confirm vaccine protection. Fertility clinics prefer to see these antibodies before embryo transfer.
- Hepatitis C antibodies (anti-HCV) signal past exposure. Clinics then order a follow-up viral load test to confirm your status.
Fertility clinics examine these markers to confirm you have strong protection against preventable infections.
How American Surrogacy Screens Prospective Surrogates
At American Surrogacy we don’t want to get your hopes up or waste your time. We do all of our medical screening first, so your eligibility is determined from the very first step. This initial review identifies disqualifying medical histories, pregnancy concerns or insurance gaps early.
If the medical screenings do fail, we don’t just drop you. We can help you find your next move, or even ways to still support intended families. More about that later on.
The best surrogacy agencies take care of the heavy lifting by collecting prenatal charts and delivery records. Specialists also organize background checks and supportive interviews to make sure your household feels confident and ready. You can explore our surrogate screening process to see how this thoughtful preparation works.
How the Fertility Clinic Determines if You're Medically Cleared for Surrogacy
Agency pre-screening confirms your readiness, but the intended parents' fertility clinic makes the final medical decision. You will travel to their clinic or agree to use one close by for a comprehensive, one-day medical screening appointment.
A reproductive endocrinologist conducts physical exams, liver function tests and standard infectious disease panels. These clinical checks confirm your liver works smoothly and verify that your body remains free of infection.
The doctor also performs a gentle saline infusion sonogram to look closely at your uterus. Using sterile saline, this ultrasound confirms your uterine lining is smooth, healthy and ready for an embryo. Once your exam and lab results pass, the clinic issues formal clearance for your cycle.
One of the benefits of working with American Surrogacy is that our medical screening usually catches any issues that would make a fertility clinic turn you away. This turns the appointment from a pivotal, stress-inducing event to a simple formality.
What You Can Earn as a Surrogate With American Surrogacy
Carrying a child for someone else is an extraordinary gift that deserves substantial, secure financial recognition. If you choose American Surrogacy, total compensation packages range from $70,000 - $110,000+. First-time carriers receive $70,000 - $80,000+ in base pay, while experienced surrogates earn $90,000 - $110,000+. We also provide competitive compensation matching if you receive a higher legitimate offer from another agency.
Payouts are held in escrow and distributed based on milestones, like an ultrasound confirming the baby's viable heartbeat. Compensation packages also reimburse you for lost wages, travel expenses, maternity clothes and independent legal counsel.
These payouts are never refundable, so if something happens half way through your pregnancy, your time and dedication up to that point is still compensated.
What Happens if You Don't Qualify to Be a Surrogate?
Facing a medical disqualification can feel difficult when your goal is to help another family. A chronic hepatitis diagnosis may prevent you from carrying, but it does not diminish your generosity. You can still play a meaningful role in helping hopeful parents build their families.
Our surrogate referral program lets you introduce friends or relatives who might be interested in carrying. You earn a $5,000+ referral bonus once your referred surrogate completes screening and signs legal agreements.
Find Out Whether You Can Become a Surrogate With American Surrogacy
You don't have to figure out past lab results or medical histories on your own. If you work with American Surrogacy, caring specialists review your viral panels before you ever apply.
You maintain complete autonomy over your timing, matching preferences and medical decisions throughout the process. Reach out to an American Surrogacy specialist whenever you are ready to talk through your records.