Choosing the right surrogacy agency is one of the most important decisions a couple can make. They’ll be the ones guiding you through the process from matching with a surrogate mother to bringing your new baby home, and in international surrogacy arrangements, choosing the right agency is even more important. The best surrogacy agency will make the entire process feel calm, confident, happy, and well understood.
For intended parents who have never sought out surrogacy services before, knowing where to start can be daunting. It’s known how important the right agency is, but how to know when you’ve found the right one may be a bit more unclear. Some characteristics to look for in the best surrogacy agency for your journey are:
Experience
Experienced surrogacy agencies have worked with many different couples, many different surrogate mothers, they’ve seen all situations, and they know how to approach different wants, values, and questions with care. For intended parents looking for a confident experience from start to finish, seek out a surrogacy agency with years of experience (and the testimonials to back it up.)
Services Offered
Different surrogacy agencies will offer different services, and you’ll want to find one that meets your needs with the services they provide. Legal services and representation, escrow management, surrogate mother screening, and more are just some of the services you’ll see offered by various international and domestic surrogacy agencies. Different services may factor into the surrogacy journey cost, and this is something that intended parents should take into serious consideration as well. A full-service surrogacy agency that handles every step of the process will likely be more costly than one with a more “pick and choose” service offering.
Excellent Communication
Communication is a huge deal when looking for the right surrogacy agency, particularly if your surrogacy is an international one. When investing in an international surrogacy journey, there may be language barriers, new laws to learn, and intended parents may feel as if they’re completely dependent on the professionals around them – because they are. Excellent communication will ensure intended parents have a confident and secure process from start to finish, as they understand every step that comes along.
Communicating isn’t only about explaining and guiding through the process, it’s also about being able to answer any questions that may arise from the time you’re choosing a surrogate mother all the way to when you’re ready to bring home baby. Questions should be easy to ask, and answers should feel easy to understand. If intended parents ever feel as though questions are dismissed or they feel uncomfortable asking anything about the process, they have chosen the wrong surrogacy agency for their needs.
Emotional Support
Emotional support is important throughout a journey like surrogacy, and for both intended parents and surrogate mothers. During surrogacy, intended parents may feel as though their “heart” lives within another person’s body. They grow attached to the child at the moment of conception, and they must simply wait and hope until the day comes that the baby is born healthy and ready to go home. This can place a large emotional toll on intended parents they may not have expected. A great surrogacy agency will be able to offer the kind of emotional support that leaves intended parents feeling content and empowered throughout the process.
Surrogate mothers should also be cared for by surrogacy agencies, and this means offering them emotional support services as well. The process of conception, gestation, birth, and the months after can be challenging for surrogate mothers, and the best surrogacy agency will ensure their emotional needs are met each step of the way.
Testimonials
Experienced and successful surrogacy agencies should have plenty of former clients ready to sing their praises. These are intended parents who have successfully gone through the surrogacy process with a particular agency, some may have used the agency more than once, and they’re ready to share their firsthand experiences with any prospective intended parents who may be interested to do so as well.
Reviews and testimonials provide a real firsthand look at what your experience is most likely to be like.
Transparent Pricing
Costs should be transparent when choosing the right surrogacy agency. All services that come at an additional cost, costs for medical care for the surrogate mother, costs related to background checks, legal fees, and other costs should be laid out plainly with no surprises coming along down the road. Intended parents should always be prepared and confident about all pricing structures.
When intended parents select the best surrogacy agency, they get an experience that is confident, positive, and life changing. By knowing what to look for, parents-to-be can take that first step knowing that they’re embarking on a journey they will love from beginning to end.