How Surrogacy Agencies Help Intended Parents by Eran Amir of GoStork

Guest Article for Simple Surrogacy

I always knew I wanted to be a father – but a few years ago when I took the first steps in my journey, I had no idea how to navigate the fertility landscape. I just knew I needed an egg donor and a gestational carrier to achieve my dream of parenthood.

So, I started with google.

It was overwhelming and time consuming trying to piece together the process, my options, what decisions I needed to make… and the list goes on. I now understand this confusion is a reality for many other intended parents – so if you’re going through it as well, just know that you’re not alone! All that said, one thing that became very clear to me was how important it was to find a well-established surrogacy agency with a strong track record, great reviews from other intended parents, and a team I could trust and build a relationship with. Today, I’m a proud father to my two-year old Ariel and the founder of GoStork, an online platform inspired by my own surrogacy journey that makes it easier to find, compare, and connect with top fertility providers, including wonderful agencies like Simple Surrogacy.

Surrogacy comes with many joys of course, balanced with various challenges. It’s incredibly helpful to be surrounded by the right professionals – and surrogacy agencies are an important link in the chain of providers that will enable your journey. In this article, I’ll go over everything you need to know about surrogacy agencies, how they work, and the variances in services they offer.

Surrogacy Agencies & What They Offer

A surrogacy agency provides a broad range of services for both intended parents and prospective gestational carriers. Agencies aim to make the surrogacy experience as straightforward and stress-free as possible so intended parents can focus on the journey itself and prepare for their little bundle of joy. One of the most important ways they do so is by ensuring that the whole process is completed safely and in line with all legal requirements.

Services offered by surrogacy agencies vary from agency to agency. Some are one-stop-shops for everything surrogacy-related while others offer partial services. If you choose the latter, you will need to work with other surrogacy professionals in tandem, such as an attorney and a counselor. When choosing a surrogacy agency, it’s important that you’re aware of what the agency offers and which elements of the process you’ll have to take care of yourself. Doing your research in advance will help ensure that the level of service offered will meet your needs.

Generally, though, surrogacy agencies:

• Analyze applications to ensure the seriousness and commitment of both the gestational carriers and the intended parents
• Screen all parties for physical, psychological and emotional readiness for the process.
• Match and carry out one-on-one consultations – ie. they support both intended parents and carriers until they connect with their best fit, given their needs and preferences
• Coordinate between clinics and surrogacy attorneys to address all surrogacy-related legal issues
• Provide support services, including counseling, escrow management, legal referrals and support and much more throughout the journey.

One other note to keep in mind; most surrogacy agencies today are ‘gestational carrier’ agencies. This means they only facilitate surrogacies where the surrogate (now more accurately called a ‘gestational carrier’) is not genetically related to the child. ‘Traditional surrogacy’, where the carrier is biologically related to the child, involves added intricacies which agencies generally steer away from.

There are two main types of surrogacy agencies: full service and partial service. Let’s look at the differences between them…

What’s the difference between a full-service surrogacy agency and a partial service surrogacy agency?

Full-service surrogacy agencies greatly simplify the surrogacy process. They handle all aspects of the journey related to matching, screening, coordination and support as outlined above, plus many other important details including:

• Providing a case manager or multiple case mangers to ensure a healthy relationship between the gestational carrier and intended parents
• Managing egg donation – either through an in-house program or third parties – to allow for a more seamless journey
• Coordinating between all parties in the surrogacy process, including clinics, financial staff, attorneys, and social workers, among others.
• Preparing for and coordinating the trip home post-delivery, including applying for a passport if required
• Offering guidance post-birth to ensure the well-being of the baby, the new parent(s) and the gestational carrier

Basically, a full-service agency serves as your case manager throughout the entire surrogacy process.

Partial-service surrogacy agencies, on the other hand, assist intended parents to an extent but do not provide all of the services needed to complete the process.

To start, they usually provide everything required for intended parents and gestational carriers to find their match. Aside from that; for all the other services that they may not have in-house, many agencies offer referrals to other trusted professionals. Common referrals include legal teams and mental health professionals.

Partial service agencies are a good fit for intended parents who already know a great surrogacy attorney, for instance, or who have their own trusted professionals when it comes to receiving emotional support throughout their journey.

Finally, some intended parents prefer to do everything on their own and at their own pace. This is called independent surrogacy.

Independent surrogacy: surrogacy without an agency

While this article covers everything you need to know about agencies, we should also mention that some intended parents do opt to not use one at all – so it makes sense to cover what that choice looks like.

Also known as private surrogacy, independent surrogacy is when intended parents and a gestational carrier undertake the whole process on their own, without the help of an agency. This kind of surrogacy is more common among intended parents who already know their carrier. With this major piece covered, they hire a surrogacy attorney and any other surrogacy professionals as needed.

While there are plenty of amazing stories (and cute babies!) as a result of independent surrogacy, there are also risks and horror stories related to taking the private surrogacy route. Surrogacy in itself can be quite a complicated process. Without the necessary support, what should be a beautiful time for all could become more difficult and even legally contentious. Apart from this, surrogacy agencies are experts in the field, ready to assist every step of the way. An agency should significantly lower stress levels as it tackles all the technical aspects of the process, as well as offers support: if things get stressful or difficult, you have experienced staff to help see you through.

Are surrogacy agencies licensed?

There is no licensing regimen for surrogacy agencies (yet). This is mainly because surrogacy and assisted reproduction in general are still relatively new and the legal framework is continuously evolving. Without predefined standards it may be difficult to pinpoint if an agency will really meet your needs. But you can give yourself a head start by only choosing from agencies with a strong track record, and excellent references, like Simple Surrogacy.

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) has standards Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) professionals should comply with. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), too, has published recommendations for OBGYNs to follow in surrogacy cases. Psychological counselors employed by the surrogacy agency should be licensed and certified. So, while there’s no licensing regimen for agencies, there are regulations that professionals working within the agency have to comply with.

There are many other elements you can cross reference in order to make an informed decision about your surrogacy agency. How long the company has been in business is an indication of its commitment and success record. Checking prior clients’ ratings and reviews will give you a good indication of quality of services and if patients feel well taken care of. Additionally, full cost disclosure upfront is an element that adds to the agency’s professionalism. Apart from this, it helps to have answers to a key set questions before making your final decision, we’ve outlined those in this article: Questions to Ask in Your Search for a Surrogacy Agency, which is a great resource if you’re just starting to think about your own list of questions and criteria.

Do I need a surrogacy agency?

While each and every situation is unique, I believe one common thread is that support from an experienced Agency during the surrogacy journey is crucial. The process requires substantial legal, medical, and even emotional support. Outsourcing each individual aspect separately could mean a great deal of coordination and effort by the intended parents if they choose not to use an agency and could easily result in mistakes that hamper the experience and ultimate outcome of the surrogacy journey.

With that said, each surrogacy process is a personal one. It is up to you to decide what support you require from surrogacy professionals as you embark on your own journey. Good luck!

About Eran Amir

With more than 20 years of experience, Eran Amir has worked as both a software development and product management executive in Israel and the Greater New York Area. The development of GoStork combines his professional skillset with a personal mission. After undergoing a long, difficult, and costly process to expand his family via surrogacy, Amir vowed to help other intended parents avoid the complexity and confusion he experienced. His passion led to the creation of GoStork, which proudly names Amir’s two-year-old daughter as its co-founder.