What Can I Expect During a Surrogate Psychological Screening?

Surrogacy is life-changing for both the surrogate and the intended parents (IPs). But it’s a multi-step process filled with ups and downs that affects your mental and emotional well-being. 

After pre-screening and matching, surrogates undergo medical and psychological screening and counseling to make sure they meet the criteria, understand the process, and can legally enter into a contract.

At Great Beginnings Surrogacy Services @Gen 5 (GBSS@G5) in San Diego, California, our surrogacy expert, Dr. Samuel Wood, and our team specialize in matching IPs with their ideal surrogate and helping them through the multi-step process.

In this month’s blog, we want to share what you can expect during the psychological screening part of your surrogacy journey.

About psychological screening

Mental health matters at every stage of life. How you think, feel, and behave affects your emotional, psychological, and physical well-being. 

Surrogacy is when a person carries and delivers a baby for someone else. Pregnancy itself affects your physical and emotional well-being, but surrogacy is more than that. It’s a complex process, including medical treatments and procedures, legal contracts and negotiations, and pregnancy.

A psychological screening evaluates your mental well-being, looking for signs of mental disorders that may affect your ability to safely enter into a legal contract and carry a baby for someone else.

The American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) recommends surrogates and their partner complete psychological screening and counseling before signing the legal contract with the IPs. 

What to expect

The specifics of a psychological screening depend on individual needs and health and personal histories. The evaluation generally includes an interview, standardized psychological testing, and counseling. 

Clinical interview

The clinical interview gathers information about your mental and medical health history, work history, daily routine, and life stressors. They also ask why you want to be a surrogate and your expectations. 

The goal of the interview is to make sure you and your partner are mentally stable and have a good understanding of the surrogacy process.

Psychological testing

Psychological testing includes standardized tests that screen for mental and behavioral disorders like depression, postpartum mood disorder, and anxiety disorders. Results from testing make sure the surrogate is mentally stable and can handle the emotional risks of surrogacy and pregnancy.

Counseling

During the counseling session, a mental health professional evaluates how well you understand the medical part of surrogacy and the challenges that may come with it, like pregnancy loss.

The mental health professional also ensures you fully understand that you have complete control over your body and health throughout your journey. 

Why you need psychological screening

The purpose of psychological screening is to make sure you're able to make your own decisions and can safely handle surrogacy without experiencing any emotional, physical, or financial hardship.

The screening also helps identify issues that may disqualify you from being a surrogate, like a history of mental illness or unresolved issues from your past that may affect mental wellness, like physical or sexual abuse. 

IPs also talk to a mental health professional before signing the legal contract. The purpose of the meeting is to help the IPs in their decision-making process and how they can best support their surrogate.

Psychological screening aims to protect the surrogate's health and well-being, ensuring the surrogate understands the process and can handle the physical, emotional, and social aspects of their journey.

If you’re considering surrogacy to help others grow their family, we can help you decide if it makes a good choice for you. Call our office today or book a consultation online. 

You can also complete our short online prescreening form. If accepted, you’ll be prompted to complete the full application online.