Beginning the journey…
Complimentary Initial Consult
Please complete the brief Information Request Form and we will schedule a time to talk and discuss the surrogacy process with you and review some basic requirements. After the initial consult, we request that you complete the Gestational Surrogate Applicant Questionnaire.
Complimentary In Office Meeting
After we have received the Questionnaire, if you are qualified for the Program, we will contact you to schedule an in person meeting with the Executive Director. The meeting usually lasts 1 to 2 hours and will cover all aspects of the surrogacy process. These meetings can be scheduled at one of our three convenient offices – Atlanta, GA – Savannah, GA – Charlotte, NC. During this meeting, we will also review the Agreement Between Gestational Surrogate and Southern Surrogacy with you, as well as the Authorizations forms (all would have been provided to you before the meeting so that you have a chance to review them and prepare your questions, if any).
Background Check
We will hire an outside service to complete your background check. However, please note that the Intended Parents will undergo the same background check.
In Home Visit
We will arrange for a representative of Southern Surrogacy (typically a social worker) to meet with you in your home. Please note that all adults residing in the home must be present for this visit. This is not a “white glove test”! However, we need to be able to reassure Intended Parents that your home environment is safe and stable.
Preliminary Mental Health Evaluation
We will arrange for you to complete a preliminary mental health evaluation prior to being admitted to the Surrogate Program. This is a shortened evaluation process. Once you are matched with Intended Parents, you will complete a more detailed evaluation, to be conducted by the Intended Parents’ selected mental health professional.
Intended Parent Profile
Once you are ready to proceed, we will request some photos of you and your family for our use in creating a Profile that we can use to introduce you to prospective Surrogates.
The Surrogate Matching Process
Once you have been admitted to the Program, we will begin the matching process. We value and respect the Intended Parents and Surrogates with whom we work and we recognize that it is an intangible quality that makes a successful match between Intended Parents and Surrogates. We believe that the matching process is absolutely critical and will respect the needs and desires of both the Intended Parents and the Surrogates. We call upon our years of experience in helping Intended Parents and Surrogates to find each other as trustworthy partners in this unique undertaking. When presenting prospective Intended Parents to you, we will forward you their Profile Letter, including pictures and a letter from them introducing themselves to you.
Introduction to Intended Parents
If you indicated that you are interested in the Intended Parents we have presented to you, then we will schedule a time for you to meet them in one of our four offices. A representative of Southern Surrogacy will be present to facilitate the introductory meeting, as you get to know each other.
Psychological Consultation and Evaluation
Once matched, Southern Surrogacy will arrange for you to complete a psychological evaluation, to be administered by the Intended Parents’ selected mental health professional. Upon reviewing those results, the mental health professional will schedule one-on-one meetings with you and the Intended Parents, and then a group meeting with you and the Intended Parents to review the psychological aspects of surrogacy, as well as to discuss everyone’s expectations of each other and the process. This group meeting is invaluable and can help to avoid later issues, in the event that your expectations differ. Many programs have eliminated this meeting, but we feel strongly that this is critical to a successful and enjoyable relationship between Intended Parents and the Surrogate.
Medical Process
Once you are officially “matched”, we will forward your Questionnaire and medical records to the designated reproductive endocrinologist, in order to schedule your first medical appointment. The medical process can vary from physician to physician.
Contract Southern Surrogacy
Upon receiving confirmation from the physician that you have completed all necessary testing and are ready to proceed with the surrogacy arrangement, Southern Surrogacy will forward your Match Information to an appropriate attorney to draft the Contract on Intended Parents’ behalf. Once the Contract is ready for your review, we will assist you in the selection of separate legal counsel to review the Contract with you and to negotiate any changes. Intended Parents will cover your legal fees for the Contract review process. Once the Contract has been fully-executed, then you are ready to begin!
Trust Account
Once the Contract has been drafted, the Intended Parents will need to fund the trust account in an amount sufficient to cover your anticipated surrogate fees and expense reimbursements. This amount will be determined by Southern Surrogacy based on the financial terms in your Contract.
Pre-Birth Parentage
In most states, the Parties are able to obtain a pre-birth parentage judgment declaring Intended Parents to be the parents of the child(ren) you will be gestating. Upon completing the first trimester, Southern Surrogacy will request that Intended Parents’ legal counsel begin this legal process. The timing and process can vary from state to state, and even from county to county. As during the Contract process, your legal counsel for an uncontested action will be paid by Intended Parents.
