Who conducts the interview and how long is it?
The intake interview comes after you pass the prescreen. It is the first real conversation between you and Private Label Surrogacy. It is a 45 to 60 minute video call with a PLS intake coordinator or case manager. If you live near Northbrook, you can meet in person at the PLS office instead.
PLS case managers have been surrogates themselves. Natalie Gaudio-Fricano delivered a boy for an international couple in 2016, and Jenni Symons delivered as a surrogate in 2019 and 2021. That shapes the conversation. The person asking about your pregnancies has had the same injections, the same two-week wait and the same hospital conversations.
If you have a partner, he or she is welcome on the call. Your partner's support is part of what PLS needs to understand, and it is easier to hear both of you at once.
The interview is a conversation, not a test. It is also your chance to interview PLS. The team explains compensation, the medication protocol and the timeline, so you can decide with full information.
The six topics covered
| Topic | Example questions | Why PLS asks | What happens with the answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your pregnancy and delivery history | How did each pregnancy and delivery go? Any complications? Which OBs and hospitals? | To know which records to request and what to look for | PLS requests your records for review by Mark Silverberg, DDS, MD |
| Your household and support | Who lives with you? What is your work schedule? Who helps with your kids? | A journey needs time off, appointments and help at home | Used to plan your support and spot gaps early |
| Your reasons and your partner's view | Why surrogacy? What does your partner think? | Partner support is part of a stable home | Followed up in the psychological evaluation |
| Your preferences for intended parents | Single parent, couple, LGBTQ, international, religion, contact level | Matching follows your preferences | Goes into your profile for matching |
| Termination and selective reduction | What are your views if a pregnancy is not viable, or if twins occur? | These views must match the intended parents' before a match | Used to rule matches in or out |
| Logistics | Can you travel? How much time off can you take? Who is your OB? | Screening and transfer usually mean travel to the parents' clinic | Used to plan travel and time off |
You will not be asked anything you have to prepare a perfect answer for. "I am not sure yet" is a fine answer to many of these questions. It tells the team what to explain next.
The termination and selective reduction conversation
This is the hardest part of the interview, and it is asked on purpose, early.
Some pregnancies are not viable. Rarely, a pregnancy may put your health at serious risk. A single transferred embryo can split into twins. Intended parents and surrogates can hold very different views about what should happen in those situations. If those views do not line up, the time to find out is before a match, not during a pregnancy.
So you will be asked what you would and would not agree to. There is no right answer. Your views are recorded and used to match you only with intended parents whose views are compatible. They are later written into your agreement, which your own attorney reviews. No one at PLS will ask you to accept a match where those views conflict.
Questions you should ask us
Ask anything. These are the questions worth asking any agency:
- Who will be my case manager, and has she been a surrogate?
- Who holds my compensation? At PLS, an independent licensed escrow agent, funded before medications.
- What is the total package, and what is base? At PLS, a first-time surrogate's typical total package is roughly $68,000 to $78,000, built on $60,000 base compensation (proposed).
- Who employs the psychologist and my attorney? At PLS, neither works for the agency.
- What happens if a transfer fails, or if something goes wrong at night?
- How long will matching take?
Write down the answers. Compare them if you are talking to more than one agency.
What happens after the interview
If you and PLS both want to continue, screening begins:
- Records review. You sign releases, PLS requests your records, and Dr. Silverberg reads them and writes a physician medical summary for the intended parents' clinic. See the records review.
- Psychological evaluation with an independent licensed professional.
- Background check on every adult in your household.
- Insurance review of your health plan.
Then matching. Nancy Block, RN, who founded PLS, runs matching herself, using the preferences you shared in the interview. See how matching works.
If the interview shows something that rules you out, such as a medical history the clinic will not accept, you are told directly and told why. The full sequence is on the surrogate process.
How to prepare
A little preparation makes the interview faster and makes screening move sooner:
- List every OB and hospital for each pregnancy, with approximate dates. Records requests start from this list.
- Have your insurance card nearby.
- Know your work schedule and how much time off you could take.
- Talk with your partner before the call, especially about termination and selective reduction.
- Think about the intended parents you would carry for, and how much contact you want during and after the pregnancy.
- Arrange childcare for the hour if you can, so you can talk freely.
If you have not started yet, the first step is the prescreen: see if you qualify.
Sources
- Private Label Surrogacy screening process, pending confirmation by Nancy Block, RN.
- American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), recommendations for practices using gestational carriers.