If you’re considering surrogacy, you’ve probably spent a lot of time thinking about how to find the right surrogate—someone with good health, a great personality, and a heart for helping others. One of the best ways to find a high-quality surrogate is to work with a surrogacy agency, and that makes choosing a surrogacy agency as important as choosing a surrogate. The best surrogacy agencies are experienced, professional, friendly, quality-focused and well-connected. They should be willing to answer your questions and happy to guide you through the surrogacy process. Here are a few things look for when choosing a surrogacy agency:
How are surrogates selected and screened?
You want to give your newborn an advantage in life—so it’s important to choose a surrogate with the best genetics available. When interviewing agencies, ask about their surrogate selection and screening process. Surrogates should be screened for physical and psychological health—and they should also have a personality that meshes well with yours.
How long does it take to be matched with a surrogate?
The sooner you are matched with a surrogate, the sooner you will be able to welcome a new baby into your home. While some surrogacy agencies can take up to eight months to match you with a qualified surrogate, the best surrogacy agencies are well-connected to a large group of surrogates—which means they can match you much faster. Newborn Advantage can place you with an ideal gestational surrogate within just two weeks.
Does the agency offer a surrogate guarantee?
What happens if you’re matched with a surrogate, but she is not able to go through with the pregnancy? Look for surrogacy agencies that provide a surrogate guarantee. With Newborn Advantage, if your candidate does not pass your doctor’s medical clearance, you will be re-matched with another qualified candidate, at no additional cost.
Will the agency guide you through the surrogacy process?
The surrogacy process is about more than pregnancy and birth. There are legal, financial and health-related aspects to surrogacy as well. Look for a surrogacy agency that will guide you through the surrogacy process and provide you with professional referrals to
physicians, attorneys, financial and estate planners, and mental health professionals, if needed.
How much experience does the surrogacy agency have?
The best surrogacy agencies earn their reputations through experience. Look for surrogacy agencies who have been in business for ten or more years, if possible. People who have worked in surrogacy for many years will understand the nuances of the surrogacy process, and can help you avoid problems they may have seen in the past. Experienced surrogacy agencies are also more likely to have professional relationships with doctors, attorneys, financial service providers, and of course, surrogates.
What is the surrogacy cost?
Surrogacy is expensive, but as with most things in life, you get what you pay for. Surrogacy costs include surrogate compensation, medical costs, surrogacy insurance, surrogacy agency fees, and other expenses. Ask for a detailed breakdown of surrogacy costs, or a sample gestational surrogacy contract. If the surrogacy agency is not transparent about pricing, this may be a cause for concern.
How are their people skills?
When choosing a surrogacy agency, look for one with friendly and helpful people. When you call the agency, is the phone answered by someone who is kind? When you ask questions, do they help you find the answers you need? If a surrogacy agency isn’t easy to work with at the beginning, you may run into more problems down the line.
What is your confidence level with the surrogacy agency?
After you evaluate a potential surrogacy agency considering the factors above, consider your feelings. If your confidence level is high, it’s a good sign that you may have found the right surrogacy agency for you. If not, you may want to keep looking.
Ready to take the next step?
At Newborn Advantage, we understand how important it is to evaluate surrogacy agencies and choose the one that works best for your family. If you’re interested in learning more about how our surrogacy process works, give us a call or email us today to schedule a consultation. We look forward to hearing from you.