Surrogacy in 2026: The Process & What You Need to Know
Thinking about becoming a surrogate is one thing. Understanding what the actual process looks like is another.
Thinking about becoming a surrogate is one thing. Understanding what the actual process looks like is another.
Insights
News
9
MIN Read
For a lot of women, the idea of surrogacy feels meaningful and exciting, but the steps between "I'm interested" and "I'm matched and ready" can feel overwhelming. The good news? The process is more structured, more protective of surrogates, and with the right partner it is transparent.
For a lot of women, the idea of surrogacy feels meaningful and exciting, but the steps between "I'm interested" and "I'm matched and ready" can feel overwhelming. The good news? The process is more structured, more protective of surrogates, and with the right partner it is transparent.
For a lot of women, the idea of surrogacy feels meaningful and exciting, but the steps between "I'm interested" and "I'm matched and ready" can feel overwhelming. The good news? The process is more structured, more protective of surrogates, and with the right partner it is transparent.
The Application and Screening Process
Everything begins with an application. Whether you're starting with a placement partner like BornVia or applying directly to an agency, this first step involves answering questions about your health history, pregnancy history, lifestyle, and motivations. Think of it less like a job application and more like an introduction. The goal is to understand who you are, what you're looking for in a journey, and whether surrogacy is the right fit for you right now.
Most traditional agencies require you to complete this process separately with each one, which means filling out the same forms multiple times, going through repeated screenings, and spending weeks or months before you ever see a single intended parent profile. BornVia was built to solve exactly that problem. As a surrogate-first placement partner, BornVia screens you once using top-tier medical and psychological providers, and once you're cleared, you can review multiple vetted agency options rather than being handed one take-it-or-leave-it match. It's the kind of process that respects your time and your commitment.
Curious about the difference between an agency and a placement partner? Read our breakdown here.
During your screening with BornVia, you will also have a consultation with a Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) specialist as part of the screening stage. An MFM is a high-risk pregnancy specialist who reviews your obstetric history in detail, looking at things like prior deliveries, any complications, and overall medical background to assess your candidacy from a clinical standpoint. It's also a chance for you to ask questions regarding surrogacy and the risks involved to a medical doctor.
Psychological screening is a meaningful part of the screening stage. A licensed mental health professional will meet with you (and your partner or spouse, if applicable) to explore your motivations, emotional readiness, and understanding of what carrying a baby for another family genuinely involves. This isn't something to dread — it's one of the most valuable conversations you'll have in the entire process. Want to know exactly what to expect? Here's a closer look at the surrogacy screening process.
Matching with Intended Parents
Once you're cleared through the initial screening, the matching process begins. This is the stage where your journey becomes personal.
Matching involves reviewing profiles of intended parents and finding the right fit based on shared values, communication preferences, relationship expectations, and the kind of journey both parties are hoping to have. Some surrogates want a close, involved relationship with the family they're carrying for. Others prefer a more structured dynamic with communication coordinated through their case manager. There's no wrong answer, and a good match honors both sides of that conversation.
With a placement partner like BornVia, this step looks a little different than it does at a traditional agency. Rather than being presented with a single profile and asked to decide, you have the opportunity to review multiple agency partnerships and the intended parents connected to them. That means you're choosing your path rather than accepting whatever comes next. For a commitment as significant as carrying someone's baby, having a genuine say in who you do that for matters.
When a potential match feels right, both you and the intended parents will typically have a meeting over video with your agency partner before anything is finalized. This is a chance to ask questions, get a feel for the relationship, and make sure the connection is real before moving forward together.
Medical Screening
Once you've matched with your agency and intended parents, medical screening is the next step. This is where a fertility clinic takes a thorough look at your physical readiness to carry a pregnancy. Expect a full physical exam, bloodwork, infectious disease testing, and a uterine evaluation called a sonohysterogram, which helps the reproductive team assess whether your uterus is well-positioned for an embryo transfer. If you are partnered, your partner will be required to take part in the medical screening as well.
One of the most important things to know here: you are not responsible for the cost of medical screening, and you are not responsible for the cost of travel to get there. Those expenses are covered in full. This holds true for any clinic visits, monitoring appointments, or travel that falls outside your local area. You show up. Everything else is handled.
If your screening reveals anything that needs follow-up or discussion, your agency and the IVF clinic will walk you through what that means for your candidacy — with honesty and care rather than leaving you to figure it out on your own.
The Legal Process
Before any medical treatment begins, a surrogacy contract is drafted and reviewed by attorneys on both sides. This is not a step to rush, and it's not a formality. The contract outlines compensation, expectations, medical decisions, contact preferences, and what happens in a wide range of scenarios. It protects you, and it protects the intended parents.
Here's something worth paying close attention to: working with an agency or partner that does not have in-house legal counsel is in your favor as a surrogate. When an agency employs its own lawyers, those attorneys represent the agency's interests, not yours. With independent legal representation, you are assigned your own attorney who works exclusively for you, and their fees are paid entirely by the intended parents. You do not pay for your legal representation out of pocket. That attorney's only job is to make sure you understand every clause of your contract and that your interests are fully protected before you sign anything.
Have questions about how surrogacy compensation works? See a full breakdown of surrogate compensation here.
The IVF Process
Once the legal contract is signed by all parties, the medical journey begins. Since gestational surrogacy means the surrogate has no genetic connection to the baby she carries, the embryo used in the transfer is created through in vitro fertilization, most often by the intended parents or with the help of donors.
For you as the surrogate, the IVF process involves a preparation phase where you take a series of medications (typically a combination of birth control, injectable hormones, and progesterone) to synchronize and prepare your uterine lining for the embryo transfer. Your reproductive team will monitor you closely with blood draws and ultrasounds during this time. The embryo transfer itself is a quick, minimally invasive procedure, and most surrogates describe it as far less uncomfortable than they anticipated. A pregnancy test follows roughly ten days later through a quick blood draw, called the BETA test. Many surrogates begin testing sooner with at-home tests as early as five days after transfer.
If the first transfer is successful, you transition to standard prenatal care with your OB after heartbeat confirmation, typically at about 10 weeks of pregnancy.
What It All Adds Up To
The surrogacy process is thorough by design. Every step — from the initial application to the embryo transfer — exists to protect you, the intended parents, and the baby. When you have the right partners alongside you, whether that means a placement partner like BornVia advocating for your interests from the start or an independent attorney who works for you and no one else, the process stops feeling overwhelming and starts feeling like something you can actually move through with confidence.
If you're ready to learn more about what it takes to become a surrogate, or want to see if you qualify, starting your application is the best first step you can take. Still have questions? Visit our FAQ page — we've got answers.
The Application and Screening Process
Everything begins with an application. Whether you're starting with a placement partner like BornVia or applying directly to an agency, this first step involves answering questions about your health history, pregnancy history, lifestyle, and motivations. Think of it less like a job application and more like an introduction. The goal is to understand who you are, what you're looking for in a journey, and whether surrogacy is the right fit for you right now.
Most traditional agencies require you to complete this process separately with each one, which means filling out the same forms multiple times, going through repeated screenings, and spending weeks or months before you ever see a single intended parent profile. BornVia was built to solve exactly that problem. As a surrogate-first placement partner, BornVia screens you once using top-tier medical and psychological providers, and once you're cleared, you can review multiple vetted agency options rather than being handed one take-it-or-leave-it match. It's the kind of process that respects your time and your commitment.
Curious about the difference between an agency and a placement partner? Read our breakdown here.
During your screening with BornVia, you will also have a consultation with a Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) specialist as part of the screening stage. An MFM is a high-risk pregnancy specialist who reviews your obstetric history in detail, looking at things like prior deliveries, any complications, and overall medical background to assess your candidacy from a clinical standpoint. It's also a chance for you to ask questions regarding surrogacy and the risks involved to a medical doctor.
Psychological screening is a meaningful part of the screening stage. A licensed mental health professional will meet with you (and your partner or spouse, if applicable) to explore your motivations, emotional readiness, and understanding of what carrying a baby for another family genuinely involves. This isn't something to dread — it's one of the most valuable conversations you'll have in the entire process. Want to know exactly what to expect? Here's a closer look at the surrogacy screening process.
Matching with Intended Parents
Once you're cleared through the initial screening, the matching process begins. This is the stage where your journey becomes personal.
Matching involves reviewing profiles of intended parents and finding the right fit based on shared values, communication preferences, relationship expectations, and the kind of journey both parties are hoping to have. Some surrogates want a close, involved relationship with the family they're carrying for. Others prefer a more structured dynamic with communication coordinated through their case manager. There's no wrong answer, and a good match honors both sides of that conversation.
With a placement partner like BornVia, this step looks a little different than it does at a traditional agency. Rather than being presented with a single profile and asked to decide, you have the opportunity to review multiple agency partnerships and the intended parents connected to them. That means you're choosing your path rather than accepting whatever comes next. For a commitment as significant as carrying someone's baby, having a genuine say in who you do that for matters.
When a potential match feels right, both you and the intended parents will typically have a meeting over video with your agency partner before anything is finalized. This is a chance to ask questions, get a feel for the relationship, and make sure the connection is real before moving forward together.
Medical Screening
Once you've matched with your agency and intended parents, medical screening is the next step. This is where a fertility clinic takes a thorough look at your physical readiness to carry a pregnancy. Expect a full physical exam, bloodwork, infectious disease testing, and a uterine evaluation called a sonohysterogram, which helps the reproductive team assess whether your uterus is well-positioned for an embryo transfer. If you are partnered, your partner will be required to take part in the medical screening as well.
One of the most important things to know here: you are not responsible for the cost of medical screening, and you are not responsible for the cost of travel to get there. Those expenses are covered in full. This holds true for any clinic visits, monitoring appointments, or travel that falls outside your local area. You show up. Everything else is handled.
If your screening reveals anything that needs follow-up or discussion, your agency and the IVF clinic will walk you through what that means for your candidacy — with honesty and care rather than leaving you to figure it out on your own.
The Legal Process
Before any medical treatment begins, a surrogacy contract is drafted and reviewed by attorneys on both sides. This is not a step to rush, and it's not a formality. The contract outlines compensation, expectations, medical decisions, contact preferences, and what happens in a wide range of scenarios. It protects you, and it protects the intended parents.
Here's something worth paying close attention to: working with an agency or partner that does not have in-house legal counsel is in your favor as a surrogate. When an agency employs its own lawyers, those attorneys represent the agency's interests, not yours. With independent legal representation, you are assigned your own attorney who works exclusively for you, and their fees are paid entirely by the intended parents. You do not pay for your legal representation out of pocket. That attorney's only job is to make sure you understand every clause of your contract and that your interests are fully protected before you sign anything.
Have questions about how surrogacy compensation works? See a full breakdown of surrogate compensation here.
The IVF Process
Once the legal contract is signed by all parties, the medical journey begins. Since gestational surrogacy means the surrogate has no genetic connection to the baby she carries, the embryo used in the transfer is created through in vitro fertilization, most often by the intended parents or with the help of donors.
For you as the surrogate, the IVF process involves a preparation phase where you take a series of medications (typically a combination of birth control, injectable hormones, and progesterone) to synchronize and prepare your uterine lining for the embryo transfer. Your reproductive team will monitor you closely with blood draws and ultrasounds during this time. The embryo transfer itself is a quick, minimally invasive procedure, and most surrogates describe it as far less uncomfortable than they anticipated. A pregnancy test follows roughly ten days later through a quick blood draw, called the BETA test. Many surrogates begin testing sooner with at-home tests as early as five days after transfer.
If the first transfer is successful, you transition to standard prenatal care with your OB after heartbeat confirmation, typically at about 10 weeks of pregnancy.
What It All Adds Up To
The surrogacy process is thorough by design. Every step — from the initial application to the embryo transfer — exists to protect you, the intended parents, and the baby. When you have the right partners alongside you, whether that means a placement partner like BornVia advocating for your interests from the start or an independent attorney who works for you and no one else, the process stops feeling overwhelming and starts feeling like something you can actually move through with confidence.
If you're ready to learn more about what it takes to become a surrogate, or want to see if you qualify, starting your application is the best first step you can take. Still have questions? Visit our FAQ page — we've got answers.
The Application and Screening Process
Everything begins with an application. Whether you're starting with a placement partner like BornVia or applying directly to an agency, this first step involves answering questions about your health history, pregnancy history, lifestyle, and motivations. Think of it less like a job application and more like an introduction. The goal is to understand who you are, what you're looking for in a journey, and whether surrogacy is the right fit for you right now.
Most traditional agencies require you to complete this process separately with each one, which means filling out the same forms multiple times, going through repeated screenings, and spending weeks or months before you ever see a single intended parent profile. BornVia was built to solve exactly that problem. As a surrogate-first placement partner, BornVia screens you once using top-tier medical and psychological providers, and once you're cleared, you can review multiple vetted agency options rather than being handed one take-it-or-leave-it match. It's the kind of process that respects your time and your commitment.
Curious about the difference between an agency and a placement partner? Read our breakdown here.
During your screening with BornVia, you will also have a consultation with a Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) specialist as part of the screening stage. An MFM is a high-risk pregnancy specialist who reviews your obstetric history in detail, looking at things like prior deliveries, any complications, and overall medical background to assess your candidacy from a clinical standpoint. It's also a chance for you to ask questions regarding surrogacy and the risks involved to a medical doctor.
Psychological screening is a meaningful part of the screening stage. A licensed mental health professional will meet with you (and your partner or spouse, if applicable) to explore your motivations, emotional readiness, and understanding of what carrying a baby for another family genuinely involves. This isn't something to dread — it's one of the most valuable conversations you'll have in the entire process. Want to know exactly what to expect? Here's a closer look at the surrogacy screening process.
Matching with Intended Parents
Once you're cleared through the initial screening, the matching process begins. This is the stage where your journey becomes personal.
Matching involves reviewing profiles of intended parents and finding the right fit based on shared values, communication preferences, relationship expectations, and the kind of journey both parties are hoping to have. Some surrogates want a close, involved relationship with the family they're carrying for. Others prefer a more structured dynamic with communication coordinated through their case manager. There's no wrong answer, and a good match honors both sides of that conversation.
With a placement partner like BornVia, this step looks a little different than it does at a traditional agency. Rather than being presented with a single profile and asked to decide, you have the opportunity to review multiple agency partnerships and the intended parents connected to them. That means you're choosing your path rather than accepting whatever comes next. For a commitment as significant as carrying someone's baby, having a genuine say in who you do that for matters.
When a potential match feels right, both you and the intended parents will typically have a meeting over video with your agency partner before anything is finalized. This is a chance to ask questions, get a feel for the relationship, and make sure the connection is real before moving forward together.
Medical Screening
Once you've matched with your agency and intended parents, medical screening is the next step. This is where a fertility clinic takes a thorough look at your physical readiness to carry a pregnancy. Expect a full physical exam, bloodwork, infectious disease testing, and a uterine evaluation called a sonohysterogram, which helps the reproductive team assess whether your uterus is well-positioned for an embryo transfer. If you are partnered, your partner will be required to take part in the medical screening as well.
One of the most important things to know here: you are not responsible for the cost of medical screening, and you are not responsible for the cost of travel to get there. Those expenses are covered in full. This holds true for any clinic visits, monitoring appointments, or travel that falls outside your local area. You show up. Everything else is handled.
If your screening reveals anything that needs follow-up or discussion, your agency and the IVF clinic will walk you through what that means for your candidacy — with honesty and care rather than leaving you to figure it out on your own.
The Legal Process
Before any medical treatment begins, a surrogacy contract is drafted and reviewed by attorneys on both sides. This is not a step to rush, and it's not a formality. The contract outlines compensation, expectations, medical decisions, contact preferences, and what happens in a wide range of scenarios. It protects you, and it protects the intended parents.
Here's something worth paying close attention to: working with an agency or partner that does not have in-house legal counsel is in your favor as a surrogate. When an agency employs its own lawyers, those attorneys represent the agency's interests, not yours. With independent legal representation, you are assigned your own attorney who works exclusively for you, and their fees are paid entirely by the intended parents. You do not pay for your legal representation out of pocket. That attorney's only job is to make sure you understand every clause of your contract and that your interests are fully protected before you sign anything.
Have questions about how surrogacy compensation works? See a full breakdown of surrogate compensation here.
The IVF Process
Once the legal contract is signed by all parties, the medical journey begins. Since gestational surrogacy means the surrogate has no genetic connection to the baby she carries, the embryo used in the transfer is created through in vitro fertilization, most often by the intended parents or with the help of donors.
For you as the surrogate, the IVF process involves a preparation phase where you take a series of medications (typically a combination of birth control, injectable hormones, and progesterone) to synchronize and prepare your uterine lining for the embryo transfer. Your reproductive team will monitor you closely with blood draws and ultrasounds during this time. The embryo transfer itself is a quick, minimally invasive procedure, and most surrogates describe it as far less uncomfortable than they anticipated. A pregnancy test follows roughly ten days later through a quick blood draw, called the BETA test. Many surrogates begin testing sooner with at-home tests as early as five days after transfer.
If the first transfer is successful, you transition to standard prenatal care with your OB after heartbeat confirmation, typically at about 10 weeks of pregnancy.
What It All Adds Up To
The surrogacy process is thorough by design. Every step — from the initial application to the embryo transfer — exists to protect you, the intended parents, and the baby. When you have the right partners alongside you, whether that means a placement partner like BornVia advocating for your interests from the start or an independent attorney who works for you and no one else, the process stops feeling overwhelming and starts feeling like something you can actually move through with confidence.
If you're ready to learn more about what it takes to become a surrogate, or want to see if you qualify, starting your application is the best first step you can take. Still have questions? Visit our FAQ page — we've got answers.
Become a Surrogate
Create a legacy of kindness while securing a brighter future for your own family.
Create a legacy of kindness while securing a brighter future for your own family.
Become a Surrogate
Create a legacy of kindness while securing a brighter future for your own family.
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For Partners
Disclaimer: Bornvia works exclusively on behalf of surrogates and does not provide legal or medical advice.
©
2026
Bornvia.
All rights reserved.
For Partners
Disclaimer: Bornvia works exclusively on behalf of surrogates and does not provide legal or medical advice.
©
2026
Bornvia.
All rights reserved.
For Partners
Disclaimer: Bornvia works exclusively on behalf of surrogates and does not provide legal or medical advice.
©
2026
Bornvia.
All rights reserved.
For Partners
Disclaimer: Bornvia works exclusively on behalf of surrogates and does not provide legal or medical advice.
©
2026
Bornvia.
All rights reserved.