Intended parent intake and consultation: a guide for agencies
Intended parents are an agency's clients, and most of them are making the biggest purchase of their lives while grieving or anxious. The consultation decides whether they sign with you. It also decides whether the journey that follows starts on solid ground.
Short answer: Intended parent intake has four steps: answer the inquiry fast with a booking link, hold a consultation that covers their story, readiness (embryos, clinic, timeline, budget and escrow funding) and what they hope for in a surrogate or donor, explain your program honestly (the steps, the realistic timeline, the full cost picture and what is outside your control), and onboard with a service agreement, a readiness checklist and a named coordinator. Track every inquiry from its source to a signed agreement, and follow up on a set schedule with those who are not ready yet.
Answering the inquiry
Intended parents usually contact several agencies, sometimes on the same evening. Reply the same day with a personal note and a link to book a consultation at a time that suits them, including time zones for international families. Ask a few short questions on the inquiry form (country and state, whether they have embryos, which clinic, timeline, and whether they need a surrogate, an egg donor or both) so the consultation starts informed. Record where the inquiry came from: a clinic referral, an attorney, a search, a past client.
The consultation
Most consultations run 45 to 60 minutes by video. Lead with listening. Many intended parents have been through years of treatment, loss or both, and some are single parents or same-sex couples who have been treated badly elsewhere. Ask about their path to surrogacy, what they have already tried, and what worries them most. Then move to the practical questions.
Readiness questions
- Embryos: do they have frozen embryos, how many, and have they been genetically tested? If not, are they working with a clinic, and do they need an egg donor?
- Clinic: which IVF clinic, and has it worked with gestational carriers before?
- Timeline: when do they hope to start, and is there a reason for urgency?
- Budget and funding: are funds available to fund an escrow account when a match is made? Do not ask for financial details you do not need; ask whether they are prepared.
- Where they live: country and state affect the legal process, parentage and, for international parents, citizenship and travel documents. See working with international intended parents.
- Surrogate preferences: location, experience, views on termination and selective reduction, number of embryos to transfer, and the level of contact they want during and after the pregnancy.
- Support: have they spoken with a mental health professional who specialises in third-party reproduction? Many agencies recommend or require it.
What to explain
- Your process, step by step: matching, screening, legal contracts with independent attorneys, medical clearance, transfer, pregnancy and delivery.
- A realistic timeline. Matching can take weeks or many months depending on their preferences; a journey from signing to delivery often runs well over a year. Never promise a match date.
- The full cost picture, not just your fee: agency fees, surrogate compensation and allowances, escrow management, legal fees for both sides, insurance, medical and clinic costs, and a contingency for things like a second transfer. Give them your program's written estimate.
- What is outside your control: medical outcomes, clinic calendars and court timelines.
- How you communicate, how often, and through which channels.
- How you screen surrogates, and, if your agency does so, how you screen intended parents. See screening intended parents.
Signing and onboarding
- Service agreement with the agency, and any retainer or program fee.
- A named coordinator and an introduction to them.
- An onboarding checklist: intended parent application and profile (including a letter to surrogates), photos, identification, any screening your agency requires, and confirmation from their clinic.
- Their profile, written so surrogates want to read it.
- Their portal, where they can see their checklist, sign documents and, once you share them, browse surrogate or donor profiles.
Intended parents who are not ready yet
Many consultations end with “we need time”: embryos not yet created, funds not yet in place, a decision between agencies. Do not lose them. Agree a check-in date, send a short, useful follow-up (not a sales email) on a schedule, and keep their notes so whoever calls next does not start again. An inquiry from a clinic or attorney deserves an update back to the referrer too.
A sample consultation agenda
| Minutes | Topic |
|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | Welcome, introductions, what the call will cover |
| 5 to 20 | Their story: how they came to surrogacy, what they have tried, what worries them |
| 20 to 30 | Readiness: embryos, clinic, timeline, funding, where they live |
| 30 to 40 | What they hope for in a surrogate or donor, and the relationship they want |
| 40 to 50 | Your process, timeline, costs and what is outside your control |
| 50 to 60 | Their questions, and the next step with a date |
Send a written summary the same day: what you heard, the next step, your written cost estimate, and who their contact will be. Families who are comparing agencies remember the one that wrote back clearly.
How SurroHub helps
Intended parents in SurroHub have their own profile, stages and portal, and their journey joins the surrogate's and donor's at the match.
- Inquiry forms and booking pages. Your branded intended parent inquiry form creates a profile on submit; a booking link lets them choose a consultation time.
- Stages and sub-steps. Inquiry, intro to agency, onboarding and matching, each with sub-statuses you can edit, so everyone sees where each family stands.
- Service agreements by e-sign. Send your agreement from a template with merge fields filled from their profile; the signed PDF files itself.
- Follow-up that sends itself. Scheduled emails and texts, and to-dos assigned to a coordinator with due dates.
- Their portal. Intended parents see their checklist, sign documents, message the team and browse the surrogate and donor profiles you share with them.
- Their language. Portals and messages in 38 languages, for international families.
- Their privacy. Embryo, clinic and donor details on an intended parent's profile never reach surrogates or share links.
Want the facts in one place? SurroHub by the numbers: what it is, who built it, and what agencies run on it today.
See SurroHub for yourself
The surrogacy and egg donor agency platform: one place for surrogates, intended parents, egg donors and matches, with branded portals, workflows, e-sign contracts and a built-in AI assistant.
Frequently asked questions
What happens at a surrogacy agency consultation?
The agency learns the intended parents' story and readiness (embryos, clinic, timeline, budget and preferences), explains its process, timeline and costs, and answers questions. If both sides want to proceed, the parents sign a service agreement.
What questions should a surrogacy agency ask intended parents?
Whether they have embryos and a clinic, their timeline, whether funds are ready for escrow, where they live, what they want in a surrogate or donor, the contact they hope for, and whether they have had counselling.
How long does intended parent onboarding take?
Usually a few weeks: signing the agreement, completing the application and profile, any screening the agency requires, and clinic confirmation.
How should agencies follow up with intended parents who are not ready?
Agree a check-in date, send useful updates on a schedule, keep consultation notes on their record, and update the clinic or attorney who referred them.