Intended parents are often curious about the matching process in surrogacy. It’s a system of mutual interest, because so much of the process is rooted in your relationship together. So while you’ll be considering prospective surrogates, those women will be considering you, too! It may sound silly, but in some ways, it’s not unlike a dating profile. Here’s how potential surrogates will get to know you:
Through American Surrogacy, you’ll create an intended parent profile, which is similar to the profiles of prospective gestational surrogates you’ll review as you look for the perfect gestational carrier to partner with on this journey. Here are the three most commonly asked questions about this process:
What is an Intended Parent Profile for?
Like surrogate profiles, the intended parents’ profile acts as a snapshot of who they are. This profile provides potential surrogates with a look into:
- The kind of parents you’ll be for your baby
- What you might be like as a surrogacy partner for your gestational carrier
- Your personality and interests
- What you’re like as a couple
- The kind of relationship you might have with a surrogate
- And more
Understandably, surrogates want to know that you’ll be loving parents, and like you, they’re looking for surrogacy partner that they feel a connection with.
So, how are intended parent/surrogate profiles used? Here’s how this works:
- When you complete your necessary screening requirements with American Surrogacy and become an “active” family (i.e. you start waiting for a match), we’ll show you profiles of potential gestational surrogates who match what you’re looking for in a surrogacy partner.
- You can also view profiles of waiting surrogates here.
- If you’re interested in getting to know a particular woman, we’ll show her your intended parent profile.
- If she’s also interested in getting to know you, we’ll arrange a time for you to talk — in person, through a conference call, video call, or however is convenient for you.
- You can continue to get to know one another and ask questions with additional calls, if you like.
- If you’re both excited about the match, you can move forward. If you mutually decide it’s not the right fit, you’ll simply repeat the process with a new surrogate.
What Goes Into an Intended Parent Profile?
Your American Surrogacy specialist will go over this with you when you become active, but your intended parents profile will typically include:
Photos:
About 3–5 high-quality photos will do. Make sure those photos show an accurate portrayal of your family, your home and what sets you apart. Professional photos are nice, but make sure your personality still shines through!
Text:
About 2–3 paragraphs written to your future surrogate. Introduce yourselves and your family, talk a little about the home and community you’ll provide for your child and what makes your family unique. Sharing a bit about things like your family’s values and interests will help a prospective surrogate get to know you and potentially feel a sense of connection. Tell your story!
What are Some Tips for Creating a Great Intended Parent Profile?
Gestational surrogates often say that they knew they had found the right family when they read their story. Surrogates have been moved to help families in this unique way — your profile is your opportunity to let a potential surrogate know how she would be helping you to achieve your dream and how far you’ve come to get here.
Here are a few things that will help you get the most out of your intended parent profile, so you can find the surrogate who is right for you:
- Be open with your story. If a woman knows where you’re coming from emotionally, she’ll be more likely to want to help you have the baby you’ve been longing for. Express your excitement about surrogacy and getting to know her, as well.
- Respect the surrogate. The woman who will read this has already made a lot of sacrifices for this journey, and she will make many more in order to help you. Write to her with respect, and be open with expressions of gratitude for that sacrifice.
- Polish your profile. Carefully check your text for spelling errors, and make sure you have a variety of high-quality photos. Avoid photos where your faces are hidden behind sunglasses or hats, or that are outdated, dark or unclear.
- Add captions. A brief caption that explains who is in a photo and what you’re doing, or the significance of an image, will help provide emotional context and show why you chose that photo.
- Be yourself. The goal is to find the right match for you. If you catch yourself overthinking your profile, try to have fun with it!
Ready to make your own intended parent profile and find your gestational surrogate match? Contact American Surrogacy now at 1-800-875-BABY(2229) to begin your surrogacy journey.