The surrogacy service requires huge dedication and commitment to the intended end of surrogates.
Therefore, the surrogate has an equal right to know about the intended parent’s details to ensure that the safety works for them, and emotional and financial support from the intended parents require to pursue the surrogacy process.
Screening for intended parents requires to conduct for assuring the surrogates that they serve a genuine client.
The intended parent screening process varies from agency to agency.
However, every surrogacy agency has conducted screening for intended parents and the detailed profile has been shown to prospective surrogates.
Following are details of the surrogacy screening process for intended parents:
Assessment of application form and questionnaire
Intended parents need to apply to a surrogacy agency by filling out a detailed application form along with providing family information, social history, and reasons for the surrogacy process selection.
Surrogacy agencies can estimate the interest of the intended parent to pursue surrogacy by assessing the provided information.
The surrogacy agency also gauges the commitment level of intended parents and the need for surrogacy service from the application form assessment.
After submission of the application form and basic information to the surrogacy agency, intended parents usually have received a call for setting the first appointment with a surrogacy agency.
During the first visit, a surrogacy expert who is working for that agency provides detailed surrogacy-related information and also answers the question of intended parents if any to clear the surrogacy process concept.
After the session, a pre-approved questionnaire is provided for the intended parents to fill up.
The goal of filling out the questionnaire is to assess the genuine interest of the intended parents and also to develop a surrogacy plan for legitimate clients.
Surrogacy agencies can know the following details from the filled-up questionnaire:
- Intended parent’s preference to pursue the type of surrogacy (traditional or gestational).
- Their estimated budget.
- The requirement of gamete donor (egg donor, sperm donor, or both).
- Previous surrogacy experience (if any).
- Their concept of family building.
- The surrogacy contract details along with segments of the payment amount to the surrogate (in case of commercial surrogacy) or other medical expense payment procedures.
- Their plan is to disclose surrogacy to their born child.
The surrogacy agency has used this information for searching potential surrogates to best match the intended parent’s requirements.
Background verification
Most surrogacy agencies conduct background verification checking of intended parents to confirm a clear criminal background, child-abusing record registry, etc before starting any medical process.
This analysis requires ensuring that the born child/children will get a safe and stable home and family for healthy raising.
The application of the intended parents will be rejected in case of a finding of any past controversial event, especially related to the child.
The surrogacy agency also checks all the safety parameters which can affect the surrogate.
Residential Visits
Residential visits for assessment of the home are not a legal requirement, but some surrogacy agencies are conducted home visits by taking help from social workers.
Alike a child adoption process, social workers visit the home of the intended parents for inspecting the safety of the born child.
They may interview all the family members of the families and observe the other children of the intended parents currently living in that house.
Surrogates may feel confident to pursue surrogacy after knowing all this information from the intended parents.
Read related: Surrogacy laws to know before going for surrogacy.
Read Also: Intended parents may face problems while opting for surrogate mother.
Ravi Sharma is a self-motivated, successful entrepreneur and has a solid experience in the fertility segment. and he is the director at ARTbaby Global (ARThealthcare). He is a pharmacy graduate with post-graduation in business administration and has 14 years of rich experience in the field of infertility segment. He loves to write about IVF, Surrogacy, and other ART (assisted reproductive technology) news, issues, and updates. He is a Pharmacy graduate (B. Pharm) and M.B.A (marketing).
His most recent success includes the successful launch of the medical tourism company, ARTbaby, which offers treatment options for infertility, egg donation, and surrogacy. He likes spending time with his family and writing about various aspects of IVF surrogacy and donating eggs.