What Services Do Surrogacy Agencies Offer?

Choosing which surrogacy agency to work with will be one of the most important decisions you make in your family-building process.

Matching you with a surrogate: Your surrogacy agency will help you find and match with a surrogate. Though fairly rare, your first or even second surrogate match may fall through — the agency fee will likely include the costs of rematching with a surrogate it needed. Part of that matching process will take into account what type of relationship you have with your surrogate before, during and after the surrogacy journey.

Your surrogacy agency will also be responsible for matching you with a surrogate based on many factors. Your agency will want to ensure there is a proper fit with regards to timing and scheduling between you, as the intended parent, and your potential surrogate match. A poor match may come down to something as simple as scheduling conflicts. In some ways, the most important part of the matching process, however, is whether the intended parents and surrogates will get along. Agencies will try to generate matches so that both share the same expectations, hopes, and dreams for their upcoming journey.

Coordinating your surrogacy journey: There are many people involved in ensuring you have a successful surrogacy journey, and your surrogacy agency should help you coordinate all the moving pieces. A good surrogacy agency will help ensure there is good communications between you and the rest of your surrogacy team—such as your fertility clinic, lawyers, counselors, donor agencies, insurance experts and more. Given the importance of this role, your surrogacy agency should assign you with a single case worker who will serve as your primary point person throughout the entire journey.

Legal services: Many surrogacy agencies will also help you conduct all the necessary legal work to complete your surrogacy journey. This will include contracts with your surrogate and donors, establishing parental rights, and other documents you may need to travel, such as passports and birth certificates.

Insurance support: Insurance costs are separate from your agency costs (see below) but your surrogacy agency will help your coordinate and secure all needed coverage. Your surrogate’s insurance may or may not cover her surrogate pregnancy, for instance. International intended parents will also need to obtain insurance for their newborn. Insurance will also need to be secured for your egg donor.

Surrogate screening: While your fertility clinic with screen your surrogate to ensure she is medically qualified to serve as your gestational carrier, your surrogacy agency will conduct several screenings as well. You agency will conduct criminal checks and financial background checks, for instance, and will also screen her and her family to ensure she is aware of the contract she plans to enter with you and is psychologically prepared for the challenges of the process.

Financial management: Your agency will also help make sure you are paying all of your bills throughout the process in a timely manner. You will transfer this money to an escrow account, that your surrogacy will help you manage and draw money from. This account will be used to pay your surrogate, any needed medical bills, legal expenses, and other miscellaneous costs as they arise.