How do you choose the right intended parents for your surrogacy journey? As a gestational surrogate, you understand that Intended Parents spend a lot of time choosing the right person to carry their child. But it is just as important for you to pick the right IPs, too! A surrogate’s role is the most demanding of all, both physically and mentally. It’s crucial that you match with IPs who align with your values, especially when it comes to communication and mutual support.

  • Consider what is best for you during your surrogacy journey in terms of location and communication levels between you and IPs.
  • Decide whether sexual orientation and marital status matters to you.
  • Your profile should reflect your personality, lifestyle, and values.
  • Prepare for your match meeting ahead of time.
  • Be honest during your match meeting, if it does not feel right, it is not the right match.

Determine Your Goals

Right from the beginning, a surrogate needs to establish her goals for the journey ahead. There are lots of things to consider, like:

  • Would you prefer to work with IPs living within the US or international IPs?
  • How close you want to be to your IPs and how much communication should be involved?
  • Does your IP’s sexual orientation and martial status matter to you?

Some surrogates are happy to share detailed information throughout the pregnancy and communicate regularly. They may even become lifelong friends with their IPs while others prefer to keep things strictly business and provide only the necessary updates. It’s entirely up to you who you feel comfortable being matched with (but having no strong preference greatly increases your chances of being matched!)

Creating the Perfect Surrogacy Profile

Your profile is the first information your potential IPs will have about you, so it pays to be thorough. In other words – be you!

Create your profile in a way that reflects your personality. Write in your own voice. Explain why you want to be a surrogate and be specific about your vision for the journey ahead. And be sure to share photos of yourself and your family so that the IPs have an idea of what your lifestyle is like.

Review IP Profiles Carefully

As a surrogate with FSC, you’ll only receive profiles of IPs that match your criteria. But you’ll still need to read over each profile carefully and think about whether they would align with your goals. Only after you approve a profile will your profile be shared with the IPs you selected.

What Happens in the Match Meeting?

If the IPs like your profile as much as you like theirs, FSC will set up a match meeting. This is when you’ll meet the IPs in person or via Zoom, and have a chat about whether you’ll be the right fit for one another.

Your potential IPs will have a lot of questions, so it pays to prepare yourself a little in advance. They’ll definitely want to know why you decided to become a surrogate, so have your answer ready.

You can also expect questions about:

  • Personal Values: This is when you tell them about your family, your background, and any significant life events that have led you to become a surrogate.
  • Your Support Network: Share who will be beside you during your pregnancy? IPs need to know that you’re being looked after, and someone will be on hand if you need them.
  • Day-to-Day Life: Tell them about your career, your hobbies, your favorite foods, what you watch on Netflix – anything that defines you as the amazing person you are!

Be honest during the match meeting. Surrogacy journeys are long, often lasting 2 years, so you and your IPs need to be 100% comfortable with one another from day one. If you don’t click, then it’s not the right match.

Final Thoughts

The matching process takes time! You’re under no obligation to commit to an arrangement if it doesn’t feel right, so just be patient, the perfect IPs for you are definitely out there. FSC is here to help you find your perfect match.

Need to know more? No problem: our staff is ready to help! Call us for a chat or send an email. We’d love to help you on your journey!

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Staci Swiderski, CEO and owner of Family Source Consultants, has been a prominent leader in reproductive medicine for over two decades. Through her strategic vision and dedication, she has developed Family Source Consultants into a globally recognized agency specializing in comprehensive egg donation and gestational surrogacy services. Under Staci’s leadership, the agency has become a trusted partner for intended parents, surrogates, and egg donors worldwide, known for its rigorous standards, compassionate support, and commitment to excellence in third-party reproduction.

Her professional insight is uniquely informed by her own family-building experiences. As an intended parent, Staci welcomed her son via gestational surrogacy in 2005, and as a known egg donor, she assisted an infertile couple in expanding their family. These experiences lend a rare depth to her leadership and have fueled her ongoing dedication to ethical, empathetic, and professional support within the field of reproductive medicine.