5 Ways Intended Parents are Screened

[How This Protects Surrogates]

As a woman who is considering surrogacy or has already decided it’s the path you wish to pursue, because you are choosing to give the gift of parenthood to an intended family, you want to ensure you have the best options when the time comes to match. Intended parent screening helps provide the comfort and trust you need throughout this process.

This guide explains the screening process for intended parents searching for a surrogate to help keep you safe. It also helps provide confidence and trust in your decision when choosing to match with an intended family. 

Much like the screening process to become a surrogate, intended parents will follow similar paths. Here you will learn the five steps a family goes through before being allowed to match with a surrogate. If you have any questions, you can always fill out this online form to get more information and to speak with a surrogacy specialist. 

In the meantime, keep reading to learn five ways intended parents are commonly screened during gestational surrogacy journeys.

Intended Parent Application

Similar to surrogates, the first way an intended parent is screened is the initial application through a surrogacy agency. This application is to gain a general knowledge of the intended parent, such as their:

  • Personal information, including name, age, location, and more
  • Surrogacy goals, like the kind of surrogate they hope to match with, how many embryo transfers they plan to attempt, and more.
  • Preferences on budget
  • Family building history (previous attempts at adoption, surrogacy, etc.)
  • Intentions on raising a child
  • And more

Upon completion of this application, a surrogacy specialist will contact the intended parents to gather more information and speak with them about their responses. This is essentially an interview for the intended parents to determine if they should move forward to the following screening step in the process. 

2. Completion of a Background Check

Intended parents must complete a background check before they can be approved to match with a surrogate. Just like when a gestational carrier has a background check performed during her requirements, the goal is to ensure the intended parents are in a safe and stable position to raise a child.

The background check will confirm that the intended parents and anyone living in the household over the age of 12have no history of:

  • Criminal record
  • Child abuse record 
  • Financial downfalls preventing them from raising a child 
  • Medical issues that could limit their ability to parent
  • And more

These will all be evaluated to help come to a conclusion if intended parents are approved. For your safety as the gestational carrier, certain background information can disqualify a hopeful parent. To learn more about all the background check reviews for intended parents, fill out this online form. .

3. Visits with a Social Worker

In order to confirm intended parents can provide a safe and loving environment for their children, visits will take place with a licensed social worker. They will view the potential living conditions, ensure all safety aspects are being met, and suggest any changes that could improve the situation. 

These home visits allow intended parents to ask any questions they may have, discuss any concerns, and listen to any advice the social worker may have about becoming parents through surrogacy.

Not all agencies require intended parents to complete in-home visits, but it is becoming increasingly common to help ensure the living environment is suitable for a baby.

4. Agency-Specific Screening Requirements

Each surrogacy professional will have its own set of requirements or steps hopeful parents must meet, but most of the screening is completed through the fertility clinic. With such a life-changing decision as surrogacy and matching with intended parents, you want to become as educated on the screening process as possible. Doing so will help avoid any confusion along the way and can give you peace of mind knowing that intended families are screened in a way that makes you feel safe and confident. 

Surrogacy specialists will be able to explain their agency’s screening process. Keep in mind, the screening process for intended parents is put in place with your safety as the top priority. Independent surrogacy is an option, but even if you choose to pursue that path, you will still need to complete the necessary screening before finalizing a match or signing a surrogate contract

5. Your Own Screening Questions

During the matching process, you will have the opportunity to speak to intended families that spark your interest or that you feel you may have the potential to match with. At this time, you can ask your own questions, as almost an interview to see if they meet your personal requirements and preferences. Questions may include topics like:

  • What made them choose surrogacy
  • Background information: job, education level, hobbies, religion, etc.
  • When they are hoping to start the process
  • The type of relationship they wish to have during and after the surrogacy journey
  • Their involvement during the pregnancy
  • How they’ll talk about surrogacy with their child

Although some of these questions may have already been answered in previous screening methods, hearing responses first-hand can help get a better sense of emotion and meaning. Surrogacy is a meaningful experience shared between two families. With a journey this intimate and personal should be shared with a family you feel fully confident in and a deep connection to.

Contact a Surrogacy Specialist

The screening process for intended parents is very similar to that of gestational carriers — and both are equally as important. Screening helps keep everyone involved in the surrogacy process safe and provides comfort knowing that the intentions and goals are similar.

As a woman who is providing intended parents the gift of a lifetime, your needs and safety are the top priority. Anytime you have questions about the process, screening, or any other surrogacy-related topic, you can fill out this online form to speak with a specialist and to get more information.