Choosing a surrogacy agency is one of the most consequential decisions intended parents make during a surrogacy journey.
The agency may help coordinate:
That means you should evaluate much more than the agency’s website, matching-time estimate, or advertised fee.
Before signing a retainer, ask:
How long has the agency actually been operating?
What screening is completed before a surrogate is presented to me?
Who chooses whom during matching?
Where is my escrow money held?
Does the surrogate have her own independent attorney?
What happens if my first match does not work out?
What is included in the agency fee—and what isn’t?
Who helps when something goes wrong?
Is the agency licensed anywhere that licenses surrogacy organizations?
Can I speak with previous intended parents and surrogates?
At Simple Surrogacy, we have worked in third-party reproduction since 2002. We encourage intended parents to compare agencies carefully—including us.
A good agency should be willing to answer difficult questions before receiving your money.
Here are the questions we think you should ask.
Experience does not automatically make an agency ethical.
But longevity matters in a field this complex.
An experienced agency has likely coordinated journeys involving:
Ask for a specific answer:
“What year did your agency begin operating?”
Not:
“How many years of combined experience does your team have?”
Those are different claims.
A company that opened three years ago but hired people with fertility-industry experience should say exactly that.
Simple Surrogacy was founded in 2002.
That history matters to us because surrogacy is rarely difficult when everything goes according to plan.
Experience becomes most valuable when it doesn’t.
This question has become increasingly important.
Ask:
Ownership can affect incentives.
For example, if the same organization operates the agency, provides legal representation, controls escrow, or owns the fertility clinic, potential conflicts deserve careful examination.
That does not automatically mean the arrangement is improper.
It means you should understand who owes professional duties to whom.
Simple Surrogacy is privately owned and operated rather than being owned by a fertility clinic, law firm, or private-equity fund.
Professional training matters.
So does firsthand experience.
Someone who has personally been a gestational surrogate understands parts of the process that are difficult to learn from a manual:
At Simple Surrogacy, many members of our team—including coordinators—have personal experience as surrogates or egg donors.
That does not mean intended parents’ needs are less important.
It means the people coordinating the relationship understand that a healthy journey requires both sides to feel respected.
This question requires some nuance because the United States does not have one national surrogacy-agency license.
Requirements vary by state.
Some states have developed more formal regulatory frameworks than others.
New York, for example, licenses gestational-surrogacy organizations under its Child-Parent Security Act.
Simple Surrogacy is a New York State Licensed Gestational Surrogacy Organization.
If an agency claims to be licensed, ask:
Do not assume a business registration or local business license is the same thing as professional surrogacy-agency regulation.
Likewise, do not assume that an agency operating in a state without agency licensing is automatically unqualified.
Licensing is one useful indicator—not the only one.
This is one of the most important questions on this list.
The word “screened” can mean very different things among agencies.
Ask exactly what has been completed before a woman is presented for matching.
At Simple Surrogacy, our pre-match process includes evaluating whether the applicant meets our program qualifications, obtaining and reviewing pregnancy and delivery records, psychological review, background screening, and insurance review.
After matching, the intended parents’ fertility clinic performs its own medical screening and final clearance.
That distinction matters.
An agency should not imply that its internal review replaces the fertility clinic’s medical decision.
Read our Gestational Surrogate Medical Screening guide for a deeper explanation.
A woman saying:
“All my pregnancies were easy”
is useful information.
It is not medical-record review.
Ask whether the agency obtains relevant prenatal and delivery records before matching.
Those records can reveal information about:
Ultimately, the fertility clinic makes the medical-clearance decision.
But good agency pre-screening should identify obvious issues before intended parents spend significant time and money pursuing a match.
Surrogate screening should not operate in only one direction.
Surrogates are trusting intended parents with an intensely personal pregnancy relationship.
They deserve appropriate protections too.
Ask whether intended parents complete:
At Simple Surrogacy, intended parents undergo background screening and psychological review before matching.
We believe ethical matching means evaluating both sides of the relationship.
Do not settle for:
“We carefully match everyone.”
Ask what that means.
Who sees whose profile first?
Can the surrogate decline intended parents?
Can intended parents decline a surrogate?
Does either side feel pressure to accept the first available match?
What factors are used to determine compatibility?
At Simple Surrogacy, the surrogate chooses first.
We identify intended-parent profiles compatible with her criteria and preferences.
She reviews them.
If she is interested in a particular intended parent or parents, we then present her profile to them.
If both sides are interested, we arrange a facilitated conversation.
Either side can decide the match is not right.
We believe a thoughtful match is more important than creating the fastest possible match.
Read our detailed guide to how surrogate matching works.
Be cautious with guaranteed matching dates.
Surrogacy involves human compatibility.
An agency cannot manufacture a woman who meets every medical requirement and every intended-parent preference on demand.
Matching time can be influenced by:
Ask an agency:
“What is your current realistic matching range for someone with criteria similar to mine?”
Then ask:
“What could make it longer?”
An honest answer should include variables and uncertainty.
Be especially cautious if someone promises that paying more guarantees an immediate match.
Rematching happens.
A surrogate may not clear the fertility clinic.
The parties may discover a values mismatch.
Personal circumstances can change.
A transfer may fail.
A surrogate may ultimately decide she cannot continue.
Ask:
Simple Surrogacy’s current program includes unlimited rematching without another standard agency fee, subject to the terms and exceptions in the retainer agreement.
That type of policy should always be read in the actual contract rather than relying solely on a marketing phrase such as “guaranteed journey.”
Ask what the guarantee actually means.
This should be a major factor in agency selection.
Ask whether your agency:
ASRM specifically identifies escrow arrangements as one of the financial issues that should be addressed in the surrogacy legal agreement.
At Simple Surrogacy, surrogate compensation and expense funds are held through independent escrow, not in Simple Surrogacy’s operating accounts.
Our current program uses SeedTrust for escrow management.
We believe the agency coordinating the relationship should not also be holding intended parents’ pregnancy funds internally.
Read our guide to independent escrow in surrogacy for more information.
Do not ask only:
“Do you use escrow?”
Ask:
“What does the escrow provider charge?”
Agency fees and escrow-management fees are separate expenses.
Make sure a proposal clearly distinguishes:
Avoid an agency that makes surrogacy look less expensive by leaving required third-party costs out of the estimate.
She should.
ASRM recommends that a gestational carrier have independent legal counsel representing her interests and that intended parents have separate counsel.
The surrogate’s lawyer should not be there merely to sign off on a contract drafted for the intended parents.
Her attorney should be able to:
Ask whether your agency coordinates attorneys experienced in assisted-reproduction law.
Our Surrogacy Legal Process guide explains why this separation matters.
This is a useful test of agency ethics.
Ask:
“Who ultimately makes medical decisions involving the surrogate’s body?”
The correct answer is:
The surrogate, in consultation with her medical providers.
Intended parents and surrogates absolutely should discuss major issues such as:
Those topics belong in matching, psychological consultation, and legal agreements.
But a contract does not turn intended parents into the surrogate’s medical decision-makers.
ASRM’s Ethics Committee is explicit that the gestational carrier is the sole source of consent regarding her medical care from embryo transfer through pregnancy, labor, delivery, and aftercare.
An agency that tells intended parents they will have complete control over the pregnancy is promising something it should not promise.
Insurance is one of the most complicated financial areas of surrogacy.
Ask:
At Simple Surrogacy, insurance review is part of the coordination process, with outside insurance expertise used to evaluate surrogate coverage.
No agency should simply tell you:
“Don’t worry. Insurance will cover everything.”
Insurance needs to be examined.
This is where apparently cheaper agencies can become unexpectedly expensive.
Ask for a written breakdown.
Potential costs may include:
Then ask what is not included.
Common separate costs can include:
Compare total journey structure, not just the agency’s headline fee.
Simple Surrogacy maintains current fees on our Service Fees page so intended parents can see the program structure before committing.
Your actual total cannot be guaranteed because pregnancy is unpredictable.
But an experienced agency should be able to help you understand the major categories.
Ask about potential costs for:
If you also need an egg donor, ask for those costs separately.
A responsible budget should include contingencies rather than presenting only the most optimistic possible number.
Embryo-transfer decisions belong with the fertility clinic and require the surrogate’s agreement.
But an agency should understand the medical implications.
ASRM identifies single embryo transfer as the preferred approach in gestational-carrier cycles because multiple pregnancy increases maternal and fetal risk.
If an agency markets routine double embryo transfer as a simple way to get “two babies for one pregnancy,” ask more questions.
A twin pregnancy is not simply a more efficient singleton pregnancy.
The surrogate needs to understand and voluntarily accept the increased risks.
Some agencies treat the relationship almost transactionally.
Others assume everyone should become lifelong friends.
Neither should be forced.
Ask how the agency handles:
The goal should be compatibility.
Some intended parents and surrogates become extremely close.
Others have a warm, respectful relationship with more defined boundaries.
A good agency helps both sides discuss expectations honestly before pregnancy.
This may be the most revealing question you ask.
Do not ask:
“Do you ever have conflict?”
Any agency claiming the answer is no is probably not being realistic.
Ask:
“Tell me how you handle disagreement between intended parents and a surrogate.”
Good coordination should include:
You are hiring an agency partly for the moments when everyone is stressed.
Find out how it functions then.
Before signing, we would also ask:
Who will be my actual coordinator?
How many journeys does that person coordinate at one time?
What happens when my coordinator is unavailable?
Who do I contact in an urgent situation?
Can I speak directly with an agency owner if necessary?
How often should I expect agency communication?
How will I know where we are in the process?
Who communicates with the fertility clinic?
Who manages travel?
Who coordinates with the hospital?
What happens after the baby is born?
How long are records retained?
What happens if the agency is sold during my journey?
What happens if the agency closes?
You are entitled to understand the organization you are entrusting with a major part of your family-building process.
Surrogacy is expensive and consequential.
A limited-time sales tactic should not determine which agency you choose.
Be cautious when you hear:
“You have to sign today to get this price.”
“Our waitlist closes tomorrow.”
“We have the perfect surrogate, but only if you send the retainer now.”
An available surrogate may legitimately become unavailable.
But selecting the agency itself should be an informed decision rather than an impulse purchase.
Ask:
“Exactly what has been completed before I receive a surrogate profile?”
If the answer is vague, keep asking.
You should understand whether the candidate has completed:
And you should understand what remains for the IVF clinic to complete after matching.
We strongly prefer independent escrow.
The same company recruiting the surrogate, coordinating your case, collecting its own fees, and deciding when to release surrogate funds has multiple financial roles.
Independent escrow separates those roles.
It also means your surrogate compensation funds are not sitting inside the agency’s operating accounts if the company experiences financial trouble.
Ask this question before signing:
“If your agency closed tomorrow, where would the money intended for my surrogate be?”
The answer should make you comfortable.
Contracts are essential.
So is bodily autonomy.
A surrogate agreement can memorialize expectations and create legal obligations.
It cannot ethically convert the surrogate into property or eliminate her right to make decisions concerning her own medical treatment.
If an agency describes intended parents as having absolute control over pregnancy decisions because “you’re paying for it,” that should concern you.
Intended parents and surrogates have overlapping interests.
They do not have identical legal interests.
Independent representation protects both sides and reduces later disputes.
An agency should not attempt to save money by eliminating meaningful legal independence.
No agency can guarantee:
An agency can guarantee certain services or contractual commitments.
It cannot guarantee human biology.
Be careful with marketing language that confuses the two.
Ask whether you can speak with former intended parents.
Ask whether you can speak with former surrogates.
Ideally, do both.
Then ask useful questions:
Did payments happen correctly?
How responsive was the agency when something went wrong?
Did you feel prepared for the process?
Were there unexpected costs?
How was conflict handled?
Would you use the agency again?
References are more useful when you ask about problems than when you simply ask whether someone was happy.
Affordable surrogacy matters.
But compare equivalent services.
A lower agency fee may be genuinely more efficient.
Or it may exclude:
Ask for the complete service list.
Saving money is valuable.
Discovering halfway through the journey that the service you thought was included costs another $10,000 is not.
Price alone is not evidence of quality either.
A $60,000 agency fee is not automatically safer than a $40,000 fee.
Ask what the additional money buys.
Does it pay for:
Or is it simply higher pricing?
You should understand the value proposition.
A good agency should make the process easier to navigate.
It should not pretend surrogacy itself is easy.
There are:
An agency can coordinate these things exceptionally well.
It cannot remove them from reality.
Instead of relying on impressions after several consultation calls, create a simple comparison sheet.
For each agency, record:
| Category | What to Compare |
|---|---|
| History | Year founded; ownership changes |
| Ownership | Independent, law firm, clinic, private equity |
| Licensing | Where and by whom |
| Surrogate screening | What is done before matching |
| IP screening | Background and psychological requirements |
| Matching | Who chooses first; compatibility process |
| Estimated matching | Current realistic range and variables |
| Rematching | Fees, limits and exceptions |
| Agency fee | Total fee and payment schedule |
| Outside costs | Legal, escrow, psych, insurance, etc. |
| Escrow | Independent or agency-held |
| Insurance | Who reviews and coordinates |
| Legal | Independent attorneys for both sides |
| Coordinator | Caseload, availability and experience |
| Surrogate autonomy | How medical decision-making is described |
| Delivery | Hospital and parentage coordination |
| Postpartum | Support for surrogate after birth |
| References | IP and surrogate references |
| Ownership access | Ability to escalate significant concerns |
After several agency consultations, those differences become much easier to see.
We believe intended parents should evaluate us using the same standards.
Simple Surrogacy has coordinated surrogacy and egg-donation journeys for more than two decades.
We are independently owned and operated rather than being owned by a fertility clinic, law firm, or private-equity company.
Many members of our team have personally been surrogates or egg donors.
Simple Surrogacy is a New York State Licensed Gestational Surrogacy Organization.
Surrogate candidates undergo substantial agency pre-screening before being presented to intended parents, followed by final medical screening at the intended parents’ fertility clinic.
Compatible intended-parent profiles are presented to the surrogate first. If she is interested, her profile is presented to the intended parents.
Both sides must choose the match.
We require intended-parent background screening and psychological review before matching.
Surrogate compensation and expense funds are held through independent escrow rather than in Simple Surrogacy’s operating accounts.
The intended parents and surrogate have separate legal counsel.
Our current agency program includes unlimited rematching without an additional standard agency fee, subject to the terms and exceptions of the retainer agreement.
We work with heterosexual couples, LGBTQ+ intended parents, single parents, and international intended parents where the legal circumstances permit.
Those are facts you can compare against other agencies.
We still encourage you to ask questions, read the contract, check references, and determine whether our communication style and philosophy fit you.
No. Some intended parents pursue independent surrogacy.
But independent does not mean screening, attorneys, escrow, insurance, medical coordination, and psychological support become unnecessary. It means the intended parents and surrogate must coordinate those components themselves.
Read our Independent Surrogacy vs. Surrogacy Agency guide for a full comparison.
Not necessarily. A shorter wait can be valuable, but compatibility and screening are more important than speed alone.
Compare total services rather than agency fee alone. A lower fee can be an excellent value if the program is comprehensive; it can also look cheaper because important services are excluded.
Size alone tells you little about quality. Ask about coordinator caseload, owner access, screening, financial safeguards, and how problems are handled.
We recommend independent escrow so surrogate compensation and expense funds remain separate from agency operations.
Yes. ASRM recommends separate independent legal counsel for the gestational carrier and intended parents.
Yes. Responsible screening should protect the surrogate as well as the intended parents.
Surrogacy-agency licensing varies by jurisdiction. New York has a formal licensing structure. In states without a comparable agency-license framework, evaluate the agency’s experience, safeguards, financial practices, screening, and legal coordination carefully.
They can be useful, but they should not be your only evidence. Speak directly with previous clients and surrogates when possible.
The match cannot proceed to embryo transfer with that surrogate. Your agency should explain its rematching policy before you sign.
Yes. Understanding whether an agency is independently owned, owned by a clinic or law firm, or backed by private equity can help you understand potential conflicts and incentives.
You can begin interviewing agencies while creating embryos or even while deciding whether surrogacy is your next step. You do not have to know every detail before having consultations.
Review our current Service Fees rather than relying on an older blog article.
Review our Surrogacy Process for Intended Parents and contact our team when you are ready to ask questions.
Agency websites tend to show the happy parts.
The match.
The positive pregnancy test.
The growing belly.
The intended parents holding their baby.
Those moments matter.
But they are not where you learn whether you chose a good agency.
You learn that when:
the first surrogate does not clear medical screening.
The transfer fails.
Someone misunderstands the contract.
An insurance bill appears unexpectedly.
The intended parents and surrogate disagree.
A pregnancy complication occurs.
Labor begins early.
Someone is scared, angry, or overwhelmed.
That is when experience, structure, financial safeguards, relationships, and communication matter.
So when you choose an agency, do not only ask:
“How quickly can you find me a surrogate?”
Ask:
“How will you protect and guide everyone involved from the day we sign until after the baby is born?”
A good agency should have a clear answer.
At Simple Surrogacy, we have been doing this work since 2002. Our team includes women with firsthand experience as surrogates and egg donors, and our program is built around pre-screening, mutual matching, independent legal representation, independent escrow, and ongoing coordination.
But we still believe you should compare us.
Ask us the difficult questions.
Review our fees.
Read the retainer.
Speak with references.
Understand how our matching process works.
Then decide whether we are the right agency for your family.
Choosing your agency should not be a sales decision.
It should be an informed decision.
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