For Surrogates | SurroStork

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How Does SurroStork Help Potential Surrogates?

So you've decided to become a surrogate - that's amazing! You're taking the first step onto an incredible and unique journey; one that can be highly rewarding, knowing that you're helping out another family in need. But, where do you even begin? With all the different agency options and requirements out there, the simple task of starting the application process can be really daunting. That's where we come in!

SurroStork will facilitate your application, complete your initial interviews, provide information and education to make sure you are fully prepared and informed ahead of beginning your surrogacy journey, gather and review your medical records to make sure you will qualify, and fully prepare you for the matching phase of your journey. We will help you complete ALL of the required prescreening steps, allowing us then to show your profile to all of our trusted agency partners who might have a great match for you, based on your preferences, as well as past medical history and demographic information. By providing agencies with a fully pre-screened and prepared candidate, it allows them to take you directly into the matching stage!

Steps to Surrogacy

Here are the steps you will complete with us prior to matching:

APPLICATION & INITIAL INTERVIEW

Complete our application form and an intake call with one of our specialists. We will break down the surrogacy process during this meeting, and answer all of your questions. We will also provide you with PDF-format educational material which you can refer back to at your convenience, should you need any reminders of what to expect throughout the journey! We will also discuss surrogacy compensation and how it is typically paid.

2. OBTAINING/REVIEWING MEDICAL RECORDS

We will have you fill out a medical records release form so that we can request and review the records from all of your prior pregnancies. If you have any other medical history that a fertility doctor might want to see records for (such as IVF to conceive your own children, previous surrogacy records, certain surgeries), we will need to request those records as well. We will summarize your medical history and provide the summary to your matching agency.

3. BACKGROUND CHECK

We will send you a link to complete a criminal background check for all adults living in your home. This is done through ClearChecks and is a national, federal and county criminal background check.

4. OBTAINING OB CLEARANCE

You will be given a form to have filled out by your doctor to say that they believe you are healthy and able to safely carry another pregnancy. This can be filled out either in-person or with a telehealth visit, and some doctors will even just fill it out if you send it on your portal, such as MyChart etc.

5. UPDATED PAP SMEAR

If you have not had a pap smear within the last 2 years, you will need to make an appointment to have a new one. If the result is abnormal, we will also need you to have the colposcopy procedure completed and the report to be normal, to be able to proceed. Most fertility clinics need to see a normal pap smear result within the last 24 months.

6. VIRTUAL HOME VISIT

Most agencies require potential surrogates to complete a home visit, either in-person or virtually. Ours will be virtual, and your home does not have to be perfect! We're only making sure you have a safe and secure living situation. A written report will be sent to your matching agency.

7. PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION

We will arrange for you to undergo a surrogacy-specific psychological evaluation, where a counsellor will go over the process to make sure you understand the process, make sure you have adequate support, discuss your home life, social life, and past psych history, and make sure you are ready to start this process. If you have a partner, they will be included in this appointment, as well.

8. FINAL REVIEW & READY FOR MATCH

Once all items have been gathered, we will conduct our final review, and schedule a pre-matching call with you, to go over what to expect next and make sue your matching preferences are up to date. We will discuss possible timelines, any blackout dates you may have (such as work commitments, scheduled vacations, etc.) and make sure we have all the the correct information before showing your profile to agencies who might be able to match you! Once this final step is complete, it's time to look for an incredible match and fully start your surrogacy journey!

Streamline your Screening

Even though completing all of the above steps might seem like a lot, many of them can be done in tandem, meaning we don't have to wait to complete one step before moving on to the next. After your initial application and interview, we can request medical records, complete background checks, obtain OB clearance/schedule your new pap (if needed) and complete your virtual home visit all around the same time. Once your medical history is approved, we will schedule the psychological evaluation, and appointments are typically available immediately and at your convenience. The last step, the final review and pre-match meeting, will be schedule as soon as all of the items have been gathered. Overall, signing up with SurroStork will not only make the initial application and pre-screening part of your surrogacy journey go a lot faster, but you should also find a suitable match a lot faster since your profile will be presented to multiple agencies at once, avoiding the common problem of having to sign an agency exclusivity contract prior to matching, which can severely restrict your options!

Let’s Work Together

Have more questions? Need more info? Get in touch!