An agency will offer an additional layer of protection to both the gestational surrogate and intended parents. An agency will offer protection to the gestational surrogate by ensuring that she receives fair and just compensation, ongoing psychological support, and treatment. The intended parents also receive protection by knowing that their gestational surrogate has been through an initial screening processes to ensure that she is a top quality candidate with their best interests at heart. Through initial medical, psychological, and criminal screening, the unqualified candidates are removed from the process and only the best candidates survive the initial screening. There are no legal requirements to becoming a gestational surrogate, but we hold ourselves to the highest of agency standards and do the maximum screening and support to create the most optimal pool of candidates and successful matches. The Stork’s Nest understands that intended parents have likely been down an extremely emotional road already battling infertility issues and want to ensure that there will be the least amount of risk for more emotional heartbreak due to losing a gestational surrogate they preferred because she did not pass her screening.
The management of each gestational surrogate pregnancy will differ for each individual match. Some intended parents are less involved in the pregnancy than others and the level of involvement will be mutually decided upon by the gestational surrogate and intended parents prior to making the match.
As the agency, it is our role to be a trusted consultant and advisor throughout the entire process. We coordinate psychological screening and ongoing support, medical clearance, introductions and communication, medical arrangements for transfer and care once there is a match, escrow service provider referral, referrals to counselors or other professionals necessary, legal advice referral, travel arrangements, and advice on setting the surrogacy fees. The agency is a liaison between the intended parents, gestational surrogate, medical professionals, and legal professionals to help facilitate a pregnancy strategy agreed upon by all involved.