So you have been matched with an Intended Parent(s) and you were told you have to go to the IVF clinic for the medical screening appointment, I imagine now you have a lot of questions. When the IVF doctor reviewed your prior pregnancy and delivery records, they were ensuring that you have an uncomplicated pregnancy history – this medical screening is for them to see you in person and see if this is a safe option for you. Your partner/spouse can come with you, so if you are a gal who likes to have her support person with you – breathe easy! This will likely be scheduled between day 6-12 of your period – so if you are a planner like me you can prepare ahead.

Check in, paperwork, sterile exam room…

You will check in at the front desk, they may have you fill out some forms – if they weren’t completed digitally ahead of time. Then you will be called back by the nurse, they will check your blood pressure, weigh you and ask you a few questions about your general health/demographics, Then you will be taken to an exam room, they will hand you one of those weird paper blankets and ask you to undress from the waist down – then you will sit in this room, without pants on, with (or without) your partner with you, millions of “what’s next” questions will likely pop into your head…. You will be a bit nervous, you see the ultrasound machine, empty walls, all the supplies.. Giant Q-Tips — whaaaat?… the nerves will be kicked into high gear… but I promise you do not need to be nervous. The doctor will come in, introduce themselves, they will complete a SHG (sonohysterogram) which is a special kind of ultrasound where your uterus is filled with fluid (saline) which allows  your doctor view the inside of your uterus – this ultrasound records structures and shapes inside your uterus, while also ensuring there are no polyps, fibroids, cysts, residual scar tissue from a prior cesarean, etc. If the ultrasound looks good, you will  F I N A L L Y  be allowed to put your pants back on and leave the room – PHEW, you made it through the most important part! Now, you will have some blood labs and a urine sample to leave (sometimes they do this before the ultrasound, and sometimes after – but it will be completed). These labs will give the care team not only an insight to your overall health, but specifically your reproductive health. It will be a few vials of blood, so if you are one to get light headed be sure to tell them ahead of time so if you need to lay down, they can do it from the ultrasound room. Please always remember to speak up for yourself, OR alert them before you arrive to avoid any awkwardness for you. We got you, queen!

Here are some of the tests that will be performed at the medical screening:

• Psychological Evaluation – often done before the medical screening.
• Pap smear — During a pap smear, a physician will use a small brush to swab the cervix for abnormal cells.
• Physical exam — A physician will perform a thorough pelvic exam.
• Bloodwork — Aimed to check whether you or your partner have infectious diseases, like HIV or hepatitis
• Saline sonogram — A procedure that has the purpose of evaluating the uterine cavity and checking for abnormalities.
• *Hysteroscopy — A procedure that consists of a thin scope being inserted through your cervix with the aim of determining the shape and the size of your uterus. The main idea here is to make sure that your fallopian tubes are unobstructed. This is not required for all surrogate candidates.
• Hepatitis —
  • B surface antibody
  • B surface antigen
  • B core antibody
  • C antibody
• HIV1 and HIV2
• HTLV-1
• VDRL (Syphilis)
• Herpes
• Blood Type and RH
• Urine Drug Screen: Alcohol, Cotinine, Cocaine, Marijuana, Opiates
• Cytomegalovirus 1gG
• Toxoplasma 1gG
• Rubella Virus Antibody
• Cervical Culture done for the following tests: DNA Probe for gonorrhea, chlamydia culture, mycoplasma culture, and ureaplasma culture

Talk to the doctor and ask all your questions

After the ultrasound is completed and the labs are drawn, you will do a consultation with the doctor. They will go over the process from their perspective, go over their typical medication protocol, timelines, ask you about upcoming travel dates and go over the surface level do’s and don’ts. If you have any questions about medication, the medical procedures, what to expect – NOW IS YOUR TIME!! Ask ALL your questions, this is what the meeting is for. You need to be as close to 100% comfortable as you can be leaving this appointment. After you meet with the doctor, they will introduce you to one of the nurses at the clinic. The nurse will fill out some required FDA forms, talk to you about the timeline and medications more specifically, they will be your #1 contact at the clinic, so be sure to get their contact information and how you can best communicate with them. The nurse will also provide you some prenatal vitamin samples or a prescription for vitamins to start as soon as possible.

Now you wait…

The blood and urine labs can take about 2 weeks to receive the results back, so be sure to set a reminder and follow up with the clinic to ensure things stay on track and you continue to move forward with the process. This is a huge step – let us know if there are any aspects you may have more questions about.