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How Did Kim Kardashian West Choose Her Surrogate?

Now that the world's most famous reality star has reportedly hired someone to carry her third child, one question on many people's minds is, How did Kim Kardashian West choose her surrogate? Initial reports didn't reveal the surrogate's identity, which will probably never be known, as that information is usually kept private. But even though the woman helping Kardashian and her husband, Kanye West, build their family will likely never be publicly recognized for it, she is playing a huge role in their lives. Thus the decision to work with her is almost certainly one that the couple took very seriously.

The idea that Kardashian, who gave birth to their daughter, North, in June 2013 and their son, Saint, in December 2015, might use a gestational carrier to have additional children is not new. As People, which first broke the news, reported, Kardashian has spoken openly on Keeping Up With the Kardashians about the fact that she has placenta accreta, a condition in which the placenta is so entrenched in the uterine wall that it doesn't automatically separate after birth. According to the American Pregnancy Association, placenta accreta can lead to life-threatening hemorrhaging in the mother, in addition to risks to a fetus, which is why Kardashian has been told by doctors that she cannot carry another child.

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Knowing that, it's possible that Kardashian and West have been considering surrogate candidates for quite a while. According to the website of Growing Generations, a renown surrogacy and egg donation agency in Los Angeles that has been in operation since 1996, there are a multitude of factors to consider when choosing a surrogate, whether you're A-list or not. At the top of the list is medical history and lifestyle — if a prospective surrogate is healthy enough to carry a pregnancy to term, and if they engage in any behavior that could threaten a healthy pregnancy (drinking, drug use, etc.). Other considerations are legal and financial. Surrogacy is only legal in some states, and all-in, the cost of surrogacy can be well over $100,000.

It's also crucial to choose someone who is comfortable with however much contact with and knowledge of the surrogate a couple wants their child to have as it grows up. Some parents never want their child to meet the surrogate, while others make the surrogate an important figure in their child's life. And finally, the surrogate has to be someone they trust and feel they can have a positive relationship with. It's a big deal for any woman to watch another woman carry her future child when she can't. It's hard to imagine a relationship where trust is more important.

In Kardashian's case, the financial and legal aspects probably weren't huge challenges. Surrogacy is legal in California, and although the $113,850 that TMZ reports Kim and Kanye are spending on surrogacy is no small amount of money, the couple's combined net worth is an estimated $250 million. The medical and lifestyle questions were likely answered by whatever agency the family chose, whose job is to vet potential surrogates and present candidates who are conveniently located (so that the couple can attend appointments) and have the same goals as the couple in terms of what the surrogate's relationship will be with their kid.

It's a complicated and often emotional process, but it sounds like Kardashian ultimately identified a surrogate who is the right fit for her expanding family, and that's something to congratulate her for.