When selecting a surrogate agency, most people do not consider the end result – their baby. Instead, they look at costs, timelines and availability. While those items are important, they are often not the most important when it comes to your baby’s health.
What is more important than your baby’s health when in utero? Well, nothing except for the intake done by the surrogacy agency before and during any pregnancy on your surrogate. And, what are the crucial components of this intake?
Here are some important points to consider:
1) We introduce the surrogate to the entire process, to make sure they understand and agree to everything they are signing up for.
2) We build rapport with the surrogate to ensure a strong bond between CO and the surrogate, which helps with surrogate compliance and comfort.
3) We review their criteria for surrogacy to make sure we have a good match between the surrogate and the intended parent, which is important since this is a long term, important relationship that needs cohesiveness. This is incredibly important, because if the IP and Conceptual surrogate were incompatible they could have trouble in their relationship down the line.
4) We discuss and prepare the surrogate for the different types of relationships they may encounter with their IP.
5) We do a psychological evaluation Egg to determine the applicant’s appropriateness to be a surrogate and assess their current mental health. This is one of the most critical aspects of intake because not all applicants are appropriate for surrogacy. We have one of the most stringent screening processes among California agencies. The is corroborated by the fact that we have seen applicants who previously acted as surrogates with other agencies, wishing to sign up with ours, and after performing the psychological evaluation we found that the applicant was not suitable for surrogacy.
6) The psychologist also performs an in depth biopsychosocial interview with the donor to determine if there is anything in their history that would suggest they are not appropriate for surrogacy.
7) This isn’t really part of the intake but rather the process in general. The two main things that help create a healthy experience are the active involvement of the surrogate with their Case Manager, and the Psychologist and support group. These things allow for continued monitoring and support of the surrogate. It also allows for CO to act fast if an issue arises.
Learn more about becoming a parent at Conceptual Options or to become a surrogate with Conceptual Options.