Before Matching With a Gestational Carrier: What Intended Parents Should Consider
For many intended parents, the moment they begin reviewing profiles can feel both exciting and overwhelming. At this stage, you’re moving beyond timelines and logistics and beginning to imagine a real relationship with the person who may carry your future child. This shift often invites a more intimate and personal kind of reflection about what the next chapter of the journey may look and feel like. Taking time to think about how you prefer to communicate, how decisions will be handled, and other expectations can help ensure that both you and your gestational carrier feel aligned and supported throughout the pregnancy.
What to Consider When Finding the Right Match
A successful match is not only about timelines, availability, or medical compatibility. It’s also about how the two parties envision working together over the months ahead. Surrogacy is a collaborative process that involves trust, communication, and shared decision-making. Taking time to reflect on what matters most to you can make conversations during matching more meaningful and productive.
You might want to ask yourself:
How often would I like to communicate with my gestational carrier during the pregnancy?
What style would I like our communication to take — more frequent, casual updates, or a more structured check-in schedule?
What kind of communication would feel most comfortable — texts and phone calls, video calls, or a combination of all three?
Do I have any expectations about day-to-day pregnancy, such as lifestyle considerations, that I’d want to make sure are discussed and agreed upon early?
How involved do I hope to be in appointments and important milestones?
How would I like to approach decision-making and/or complications that may arise with the pregnancy?
There’s no single “right” way to answer these questions; what matters most is understanding what feels important to you. With thoughtful matching, there is often a gestational carrier whose preferences and expectations will feel similarly aligned.
Addressing Sensitive Decisions
Some of the most important conversations during matching involve topics that can feel sensitive, but they are essential to address before moving forward. These may include perspectives on:
Pregnancy management and medical recommendations
Selective reduction in the case of a multiple pregnancy
Termination in the case of complications
Preferences around prenatal testing
How medical decisions regarding the pregnancy will be handled
Having thoughtful conversations early in the process can prevent misunderstandings later and allow both intended parents and gestational carriers to move forward with a shared understanding and a stronger sense of trust.
Building a Strong Foundation for the Journey Ahead
Working with experienced professionals, such as those at West Coast Surrogacy, can make these conversations feel more manageable. Our staff is dedicated to helping you facilitate open dialogue, clarify expectations, and ensure that your legal agreements reflect what has been discussed. When a match is built on shared expectations, clear communication, and mutual respect, it creates a sense of stability for everyone involved. If you’re preparing to enter the matching phase, reach out to our team to learn more about how we can support this stage of your journey and beyond.
