Matching with a Gestational Carrier is both exciting and nerve wracking. On the outside, it seems IPs want a healthy woman to carry their baby through pregnancy and make their dream come true. But it is so much more than that. The surrogacy process is long and very intimate. Intended Parents want to ensure that whoever they choose to partake on this journey with, is the right person for them. So let’s talk about ALL the aspects intended parents look for when choosing a gestational carrier. 

Emotionally Stable and Mature

Pregnancy is very emotional for anyone, let alone carrying someone else’s baby. Intended Parents need someone who is first and foremost emotionally ready to carry and give the baby back to their parents at the end of the pregnancy. It’s also important that the GC is emotionally prepared for the physical demands expected upon them, and is committed to bringing the baby to full term. 

Physical Health

Before a gestational carrier can be matched with intended parents, they must meet certain health requirements including (but not limited to): being under a certain BMI, having previous healthy pregnancies/deliveries, and living a healthy lifestyle. Even after being cleared, intended parents want to ensure their baby is being well taken care of, so sticking to healthy lifestyle habits is a must. Don’t worry about what “healthy habits” mean just yet, once matched  both IPs and GC will outline what “healthy habits” mean when writing up contracts. Most IPs just want their GC to be in optimal pregnancy health, so don’t worry, you don’t have to start training for a half-marathon (although pregnancy can definitely feel that way sometimes).

Support System

Every pregnancy holds its own set of obstacles, let alone a surrogacy pregnancy. While the hope is the GC feels close and can rely on their IPs for support, it’s important for a GC to have their own separate support system. This support system can help the GC navigate through those obstacles (pregnancy and surrogacy related). The GC will also be connected with a psychologist in case any extra support is needed. 

Shared Values

While not all values on every subject need to align, there are major topics that both GCs and IPs need to specifically agree on. In our experience, the biggest non-negotiable refers to early termination. If both parties cannot agree on their belief with early termination, the match should not move forward. Don’t worry, during the psychology screening, the psychologist will bring up big-ticket issues to discuss. Both GCs and IPs will answer questions on certain values when creating their match profile to weed out matches where values don’t align. 

Open Communication

Intended Parents want someone who is open and upfront about their health, values, and expectations. Some IPs want heavy communication throughout the entire pregnancy while others just want to communicate during certain points in the pregnancy. Communication is another big topic that will be discussed during the screening process. Ultimately IPs just want to make sure the lines of communication are always open and that GCs are keeping them updated. 

Sometimes IPs also look for specific criteria that include:

• Age
• Location
• Marital Status
• Sexual Orientation
• Financial Stability
• Religion

Most of these topics are included in the Matching Profile Questionnaire. These questions give us a base on where to start looking for the perfect match. 

Remember, each person has their own set of expectations, values, and criteria. And sometimes those expectations, values, and criteria change throughout the process. We at Southern Surrogacy pride ourselves on getting to know our GCs and our IPs to provide the best possible match we can. We want all of our families to have a positive experience and to create beautiful families. If you have any questions or are not sure where to start, please feel free to reach out to us by filling out the “Contact Us” form on our website.