Top 5 Questions to Ask Your (Potential) Surrogacy Agency
Whether you’re an intended parent or a gestational carrier, one of the first decisions you’ll have to make is deciding whether you’ll do the journey independently or with an agency. That’s a topic all on its own, but if you decide to do the journey with an agency, we want to help you with some questions that you should as your potential surrogacy agency to make sure you’re selecting the right one. Because you’ll be working so closely with the agency through the pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, and even post-pregnancy, you’ll want to make sure you’re very comfortable with your decision. There are lots of questions that you can ask to make sure you’re sure you’re picking the right one, but we feel these are the top 5 areas in which to ask questions.
1. Compensation/Payment
As a gestational carrier, you’ll want the agency to be clear on what the base compensation is versus the full package. Some agencies flash up a huge number but aren’t very clear that they are including all allowances and even lost wages and medical reimbursements in that number. A good agency will be clear on exactly what is included and what is not so there is no confusion down the road. You’ll also want to know when each payment will be made to you throughout the pregnancy as there are different milestones that generally need to be met before compensation can be made. (although, know that the actual terms will be dictated by your legal agreement – but the agency can help keep everyone on the same page from the start!)
As an intended parent, you will want to see a breakdown of all of possible payments and when they are likely to be due. You’ll also want to know about IVF clinic fees, agency fees, lawyer fees, and any others that might arise. Just be clear about all amounts that may be due and when they will be due.
2. Screening Process
Both gestational carriers and intended parents should be interested in the screening process of gestational carriers. Because GCs are the ones being screened, it’s important for them to understand what the screening process consists of and how the agency will support them through it. The intended parents should know exactly how the agency screens the gestational carriers as this is the person who is going to be carrying their baby. It’s important to know how thoroughly GCs and IPs are pre-screened in terms of medical and psychological, but what about in-home screenings or background checks of all the adults living in the house? It’s good to find out how extensively the agency screens.
3. Matching Process
One of the most important aspects of the surrogacy journey on both sides is the matching process. Ask the potential agency how they go about matching the intended parents with a surrogate. Do both sides get a preference? What happens if a match doesn’t work out? Is there a rematch fee? What are the main criteria they match on? Is either side required to take the match that is presented to them? Make sure they cover everything that’s important to you when matching.
4. Support and Services
Is this agency a matching only agency and consider their work done once the match is made? Or do they stay with you throughout the journey? And even then, to what extent and amount? How much support for the gestational carriers and intended parents do you want throughout the journey? You want an agency to be with you every step of the way, and if they can’t help you with a problem or an issue then they should be able to direct you to the person who can.
5. Why should I choose you?
You should ask them this simple question and see what their answer is. This is going to give you the best gut feeling if they are the agency for you or not. Does your personality seem to vibe with theirs. Do you feel like they are going to give you the attention you need? Do you feel like they look at you like a person and not a paycheck?
The benefit of a surrogacy agency is to guide you through the surrogacy journey so it’s as smooth and seamless as possible for you. You should feel comfortable with every point of contact you have at the agency. Take your time and do your research as this is a very important decision. We encourage you to check out New Mexico Surrogacy!