What surrogacy agencies do (and don’t do)

What agencies typically help with

Most agencies bundle some or all of the following. Exact scope is contract-specific.

• Matching: presenting screened surrogate candidates (and sometimes facilitating introductions) that fit your clinic’s requirements and your preferences.
• Screening coordination: scheduling psychological and medical clearances. Licensed professionals perform evaluations; the agency helps with logistics and follow-up.
• Case management: ongoing check-ins and communication between intended parents, surrogate, fertility clinic, escrow, and other parties through pregnancy and postpartum handoff.
• Legal referrals: introducing you to reproductive attorneys for the surrogacy agreement, parentage work, and state-specific steps. The agency is not your counsel.
• Escrow coordination: helping establish third-party trust accounts and disbursement schedules that mirror your contract.
• Insurance navigation: surfacing options for surrogate medical coverage, gap plans, or benefits questions (not a substitute for a broker or lawyer).
• Clinic coordination: aligning calendars, records, and monitoring plans between your IVF clinic and carrier.
• Travel and logistics: planning around monitoring, embryo transfer, and birth travel when geography requires it.
• Birth planning support: hospital communication norms, delivery expectations, and practical handoff—without replacing medical staff.
• Referrals to mental-health professionals familiar with third-party reproduction for IPs, surrogates, and partners when needed.

What agencies typically don’t replace

Knowing the boundaries helps you hire the right professionals and read proposals clearly.

• Medical care: IVF, embryo transfer, prenatal care, and delivery are provided by licensed clinics and hospitals—not the agency.
• Legal representation: you still retain your own attorney; agencies coordinate and refer but do not represent you in legal matters.
• Guaranteed outcomes: no ethical agency can promise a pregnancy, a delivery date, or a particular court result.
• Decision-making for you: major medical and legal choices stay with you, your surrogate, and your licensed professionals.
• One-size-fits-all pricing: fee schedules differ; compare inclusions (screening depth, travel caps, replacement policies) line by line.

Agency vs independent path

Independent journeys (sometimes called “private” or “self-matched”) mean you coordinate screening, escrow, and attorneys yourself—or with à-la-carte help—without a full-service agency retainer. It can reduce fees but increases your project-management load. Many families use an agency for matching and coordination even if they already have embryos. Neither path is inherently “better”—match the structure to your bandwidth, timeline, and risk tolerance.