Beginning the journey…

Complimentary Initial Consult: Please complete the brief Meeting Request Form and we will schedule a time to talk and discuss your family building needs, as well as how Southern Surrogacy will meet those needs. This first phone meeting is complimentary.

In Office Meeting: When you are ready to move forward with your surrogacy program plans, we will schedule an in person meeting with the Executive Director. Additionally, the Director will arrange for an attorney to be present for part of that meeting in order to provide you with a legal consult regarding your specific situation and needs. The meeting usually lasts 1 to 2 hours and will cover all aspects of the surrogacy process. These meetings can be scheduled at one of our four convenient South Carolina and Georgia surrogate program offices – Atlanta, GA – Savannah, GA – Spartanburg, SC – Charleston, SC. Prior to the meeting, you will be requested to complete a more detailed Questionnaire so that the meeting can be customized to your specific needs. There is a $350 charge for this meeting. However, in the event that you hire Southern Surrogacy within 90 days of the meeting, this fee will be applied to your Program Fee.

Profile: Once you are ready to hire Southern Surrogacy, we will request that you prepare a short Profile Letter that we can use to introduce you to prospective Surrogates.

The Matching Process: Once hired and we receive your Profile Letter, we will begin the matching process. We value and respect the Intended Parents and Surrogates with whom we work and we recognize that it is an intangible quality that makes a successful match between Intended Parents and Surrogates. We believe that the matching process is absolutely critical and will respect the needs and desires of both the Intended Parents and the Surrogates. We call upon our years of experience in helping Intended Parents and Surrogates to find each other as trustworthy partners in this unique undertaking. When presenting a prospective Surrogate to you, we will forward you her profile, including pictures of her and her family, as well as a copy of her Questionnaire. At the time we present her, she would have already completed our screening process.

Insurance: If needed, we will schedule a time for you to complete an insurance consult with an insurance professional to discuss the insurance options (no additional cost).

Introduction to Selected Surrogate: If you are interested in a Surrogate’s Profile, then we will schedule a time for you to meet her in one of our four Georgia and South Carolina surrogacy program offices. A representative of Southern Surrogacy will be present to facilitate the introductory meeting, as you get to know each other.

Psychological Consultation and Evaluation: As part of Southern Surrogacy’s screening process, the Surrogate would have already undergone a preliminary mental health screening. Once matched, Southern Surrogacy will arrange for her to complete an MMPI, to be administered by your selected mental health professional. Upon reviewing those results, your mental health professional will schedule one-on-one meetings with you and the Surrogate, and then a group meeting with you and the Surrogate (and her husband/significant other, if applicable) to review the psychological aspects of surrogacy, as well as to discuss everyone’s expectations of each other and the process. This group meeting is invaluable and can help to avoid later issues, in the event that your expectations differ. Many programs have eliminated this meeting, but we feel strongly that this is critical to a successful and ENJOYABLE relationship between Intended Parents and the Surrogate.

Medical Process: Once you are officially “matched” with a Surrogate, we will forward her Questionnaire and medical records to your reproductive endocrinologist, in order to schedule her first medical appointment. The medical process can vary from physician to physician, so we recommend that you consult with your physician’s office to discuss their normal protocol.

Contract: Upon receiving confirmation from your physician that the Surrogate has completed all necessary testing and is ready to proceed with the surrogacy arrangement, Southern Surrogacy will forward your Match Information to an appropriate attorney to draft the Contract on your behalf. The cost of this Contract is already included in your Program Fee. The attorney will solely represent you in the Contract negotiation process and the Surrogate will be referred to separate legal counsel. Once the Contract has been fully-executed, then you are ready to begin!

Trust Account: Once the Contract has been drafted, you will need to fund the trust account in an amount sufficient to cover Surrogate’s anticipated fees and expense reimbursements. This amount will be determined by Southern Surrogacy based on the financial terms in your Contract. The cost of the Trust Account Management Service is already covered by your Program Fee.

Pre-Birth Parentage: In most states, you are able to obtain a pre-birth parentage judgment declaring you to be the parents of the child(ren) the Surrogate is gestating. Upon completing the first trimester, Southern Surrogacy will request that your legal counsel begin this legal process. The timing and process can vary from state to state, and even from county to county. Your legal counsel will be able to advise you more about this during the Contract process. Your legal fees for the uncontested parentage action are covered by your Program Fee (with possible exceptions based on unique legal situations, as outlined in the Services Agreement).