For some people, the thought of having a baby feels more like a dream than a reality. Maybe they can’t have children of their own because of infertility, or maybe they’re a same-sex couple who dreams of being parents. In these situations, finding a surrogate can turn that dream into reality. But where do you start looking? How do you ensure the surrogate is reliable, healthy, and professional? Below, we’ll break down how to find a surrogate so you can relax heading into the process.
How to Successfully Find A Surrogate
We highly recommend working with an experienced and compassionate fertility agency. If you’re considering a surrogate through an agency, the difficult parts of finding a surrogate — like making sure she’s a quality candidate — are done for you. The agency makes sure all of the proper boxes are checked so you don’t have to worry about it.
When working with an agency, these are the main steps you’ll come across when attempting to find a surrogate:
Surrogate eligibility
Before we even start pairing surrogates with intended parents (IPs), we go through a slew of potential candidates and screen them. This is a very intricate process for us and we take it seriously. Based on experience, we often get the best results from having former surrogates on our staff do all the initial intake. These staff members have been through the process themselves and take great pride in the high standards we set.
During this step, most surrogate applicants are turned down, leaving only the most qualified ones to be matched with IPs. Learn more about our surrogate eligibility requirements.
Surrogate screening
Not only do our surrogates have to meet the eligibility criteria — but we also do comprehensive background checks and psychological screenings on every applicant. While the industry standard is to use online background check services, we prefer a more personal touch and work with two retired police detectives to do the work. These detectives not only run online checks but interview the surrogates themselves and follow up on anything questionable or unclear that the reports might bring up.
Clinics, psychologists, and lawyers often tell us our surrogates are a cut above most other agencies.
Finding a TrueMatch™
We are experts at helping IPs find the right surrogate. We take all of your desires into consideration – including how much communication you want (before, during, and after the pregnancy), how many embryos are transferred, and where the surrogate lives. While you come into this as strangers, your relationship will grow, and hopefully, you may someday become friends. Surrogates often have requirements they are looking for as well, which our True Match® experts take into consideration.
Thanks to True Match®, we have a 98% success rate with matching IPs and surrogates. It’s rare for IPs to turn down their first match.
How long does it take to find a surrogate?
We know you’ve been waiting your entire life to become a parent. We understand your urgency to find a surrogate. Other agencies tend to take 9 to 18 months to match IPs with a surrogate. Our current match time is 5 to 9 months for most IPs, but this can vary depending on your unique circumstances.
We make it our top priority to get you matched as quickly as we can with a fantastic surrogate who:
- Is screened
- Is healthy
- Is communicative
- Has a great support system
- Has had a successful, healthy pregnancy(s)
- Loves being pregnant
We are faster because we work with surrogates in surro-friendly states where your name goes on the birth certificate.
Embarking on the journey to find a surrogate is exciting. Take comfort in knowing that working with an agency is a safe, reliable way to ensure your surrogate is of the highest quality. After all, this is your dream we’re talking about. Nothing is more important.
Surrogacy and Egg Donor Services
Since 2004, The Fertility Agency has helped bring over 1100+ babies into the world. We work with all intended parents, surrogates, and egg donors no matter their sexual preference, relationship status, ethnicity, location, etc. Our personal experiences and years of expertise provide us with the perfect balance of business and passion. Contact us for more information.
