For First Time Surrogates: What to Expect During the Screening Process

Dear First Time Surrogates:

My name is Marisa Papa and I am the Surrogate Recruiter here at Worldwide. I will be working with you very closely throughout the screening process and encourage you to reach out to me at any point with any questions or concerns you may have. Although it can be extremely foreign to take the first step to apply to become a gestational surrogate, my hope is that after reading this you will be a little more acclimated with what to expect during the initial stages of your surrogacy journey.

With mobile friendly applications, the first step of our process is to fill out our pre-screen application. The pre-screen application is a short form that asks very generic questions, such as: first name, last name, date of birth, height, weight, how many children you've had, etc. The purpose of this is to ensure that have met the initial requirements to become a surrogate through our agency. If you are accepted based on the pre-screen qualifications, you will be redirected to our full application.

Our full application is a longer form which contains more in-depth questions about your medical/psychological history and personal/social history. Once submitted, I will automatically receive an email with your completed application. After I thoroughly review each application, I will contact you with any questions or concerns that I may have noticed upon reviewing your application.

For example, a potential surrogate may answer "no" to the question: "Are you employed?" I will then follow up with her and ask how she supports herself and her family. This information is important to us as your potential Intended Parents will inquire about this (i.e. stay-at-home mom is perfectly acceptable!) Another example that will require a follow-up question, is if a surrogate states that she was prescribed anti-anxiety/anti-depressant medication in the past. I then might ask: how long were you taking the medication, what was the reason you were prescribed this medication, what the dosage was, and how long have you been off the medication. Any medical clarifications I may ask you will aid the clinic doctor in medically clearing you to be a surrogate.

In contrast to this, if I have no initial questions regarding your application, I will then send you the hyperlink, to the "Additional Information" form. This allows our agency to understand more specifically about your individual preferences. Each step of the initial application process serves its own individual purpose which allows me, in addition to our agency, to acquaint and get to know each surrogate on a more personal level. Once I receive and review the additional information form, I will send one final hyperlink, which is the "Next Steps." This is composed of various forms, documents, and pictures that must be signed and submitted. Once this is complete, we will need all of your pregnancy and delivery records from each pregnancy in order to get you approved by the clinic doctor. Usually, this part of the process takes the longest as it can take anywhere from two weeks to a month or so to acquire medical records.

Throughout the screening process, I am always asked the question, "how long does it take to get processed?" The answer to this is multifaceted as many aspects come into play, such as, how quickly we are able to acquire your medical records, the time it takes to set up your psychological testing, and how quickly you are able to submit all of your paperwork. With that being said, I work very closely with you throughout the screening process to ensure the process moves as quickly and smoothly as possible. Generally, the more proactive you are, and the faster you submit all of the required documentation for our agency, the faster you will be processed and eventually matched with Intended Parents!

You will soon see that I develop a very strong relationship with you, as we become very close throughout this process. You should expect to share personal details about your medical, psychological, and social history as there must be a very open and honest communication between you and our agency. As always, if there are any questions or concerns about the process or our agency in general, I encourage you to ask!