The surrogate intake call: a checklist and script for agencies
The intake call is where a surrogate applicant decides whether she trusts your agency, and where your coordinator decides whether she is likely to qualify. Done well, it takes about 30 to 45 minutes and leaves both sides clear on the next step.
Short answer: A good surrogate intake call has five parts: prepare (read her application and flags first), welcome and listen (her story and why she wants to be a surrogate), confirm the qualifying answers (pregnancies and deliveries, health, BMI, lifestyle, insurance, household and support), explain the journey honestly (screening, matching, contracts, medical steps, compensation basics and timeline), and close with one clear next step and a date. Afterwards, log the outcome the same day, send a recap message, and move her to the right stage so nothing waits on memory.
Before the call
- Read the whole application, not just the summary. Note anything flagged, anything blank, and anything that does not add up.
- Know where she came from: an ad, a recruiter, a referral from a past surrogate. A referral deserves a mention (“Jessica said you two worked together”).
- Check her language. If she applied in Spanish, hold the call in Spanish or with a bilingual coordinator. See serving Spanish-speaking surrogates.
- Book it for her, not you. Evening and weekend slots matter to working mothers. A self-service booking link cuts the back-and-forth.
- Send a reminder the day before and an hour before, with how you will call.
The call, in order
The wording below is a sample to adapt to your agency's voice, not a script to read word for word.
1. Welcome (2 minutes)
“Hi Maria, it's Ana from [Agency]. Thank you for applying, and for making time tonight. The call usually takes about half an hour. I'd love to hear a bit about you, go over a few things from your application, explain how the journey works, and answer any questions. Does that sound OK?”
2. Her story (5 to 10 minutes)
“What made you start thinking about surrogacy?”
“Who is at home with you, and how do they feel about it?”
“Tell me about your pregnancies. How were they, and how were the deliveries?”
Listen more than you talk. Her motivation, her support at home and how she describes her pregnancies tell you more than any checkbox.
3. Confirm the application (10 minutes)
Walk through the qualifying answers below, kindly and directly. If something would disqualify her, say so on the call rather than leaving her waiting for an email.
4. Explain the journey (10 minutes)
“Let me walk you through what happens from here, so there are no surprises...”
5. Questions and next step (5 minutes)
“What questions do you have for me?”
“The next step is your medical records release. I'll text you the form tonight. Once we have your records, usually in two to three weeks, I'll call you to talk about matching.”
The questions to confirm
- Pregnancies and deliveries: how many, vaginal or C-section, any complications such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm birth or postpartum haemorrhage, and when her last delivery was.
- She is raising a child. Most agencies, following ASRM guidance, require that she has given birth and is parenting.
- Age and BMI within your program's range.
- Health: current medications, mental health history, and anything the clinic will ask about. You are gathering information for the clinic, not making a medical judgment.
- Lifestyle: smoking, vaping, alcohol and drug use, for her and anyone in the household.
- Household and support: partner, childcare, who will help during appointments, travel and recovery.
- Background: that she and adults in the household will consent to background checks.
- Insurance: what health insurance she has. Some policies exclude surrogacy; the agency or an insurance specialist will review it.
- Government assistance: many programs ask whether she receives certain public benefits, because compensation can affect eligibility. Refer her to a benefits or legal professional for her own situation.
- Location and travel: the state she lives in (state law affects surrogacy) and her ability to travel to a clinic.
- Her preferences: how she feels about the number of embryos, termination and selective reduction, and the kind of intended parents and contact she hopes for. These answers drive matching.
What to explain
- The steps and the timeline: records, background checks, matching, the psychological evaluation, contracts with her own attorney, clinic screening, medications, transfer and pregnancy. Be honest that it often takes a year or more.
- Compensation basics: how your program structures base compensation and allowances, that payments go through an independent escrow company, and that the exact terms are set in her contract.
- Her own attorney, paid for by the intended parents in most programs.
- What the medical process involves: injections, monitoring, and that transfers do not always succeed the first time.
- How you will communicate and how often she will hear from you.
After the call
- Log the outcome the same day: move forward, needs more information, not a fit, or she wants time to think.
- Write a short note covering anything that is not on the application: her motivation, support, preferences and concerns.
- Send a recap message with the next step and the date she should expect to hear from you.
- Move her to the right stage and start the next step (records release, background check consent, full application).
- If she is not a fit, tell her kindly, thank her, and ask whether she would refer friends. A kind no protects your reputation in a small community.
Common mistakes
- Booking the call days out, so she talks to another agency first.
- Reading questions she already answered, instead of confirming them.
- Over-promising timelines or compensation to keep her interested.
- Ending without a specific next step and date.
- Leaving notes in a notebook or a personal phone, so the next coordinator starts again.
How SurroHub helps
In SurroHub, the intake call is a stage with its own sub-steps, and one choice after the call does the follow-up work.
- The application, flags and source on one screen. Open her profile before the call and see every answer, any red, orange or yellow flags, and where she came from.
- Booking pages with reminders. Applicants book their own intake call; appointments get text reminders the day before and the day of, and sync both ways with Google Calendar.
- One choice moves her forward. Marking the intake call complete and moving forward sends her portal login and creates her full application, so the next step starts without a separate email.
- Notes and to-dos on the profile. Dated, signed notes the whole team can read, and follow-ups tied to her, assigned and due.
- Messages in her language. Text and email from one thread on her profile, translated in place in any of 38 languages, with message templates for the recap.
Want the facts in one place? SurroHub by the numbers: what it is, who built it, and what agencies run on it today.
Sources: ASRM, Recommendations for practices using gestational carriers (2022).
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Frequently asked questions
What questions are asked in a surrogate intake call?
Her motivation and support at home, her pregnancies and deliveries, health and medications, age and BMI, smoking and drug use, household background check consent, insurance, location, and her preferences about embryos, termination and contact with intended parents.
How long should a surrogate intake call take?
Usually 30 to 45 minutes: a few minutes of welcome, ten on her story, ten confirming the application, ten explaining the journey, and time for questions and the next step.
Who should run surrogate intake calls?
An intake coordinator who knows the agency's criteria well, ideally someone who speaks the applicant's language. Many agencies use experienced former surrogates.
What happens after the intake call?
The coordinator logs the outcome, sends a recap, and starts the next step, usually a medical records release, background check consent and the full application.