Who conducts the evaluation and why they are independent
Your psychological evaluation is done by an independent licensed mental health professional who specializes in third-party reproduction: surrogacy, egg donation and the families built through them. That person is not a Private Label Surrogacy employee, and PLS does not grade its own candidates.
That choice is deliberate. PLS does not employ in-house psychologists, attorneys or escrow agents. It refers to independent licensed professionals on purpose. An agency needs surrogates to match with the families it has signed. An evaluator on the agency's payroll is assessing candidates her employer needs to place. Even a careful professional in that position has a conflict of interest. ASRM guidance calls for the psychological assessment of a gestational carrier to be done by a qualified mental health professional, independent of the parties' other interests.
An independent evaluator answers to the standard of care, and in a real sense to you. Her job is to make sure surrogacy is a sound decision for you and your family right now, not to fill a match.
The intended parents pay the evaluator's fee, either through escrow or directly to the evaluator. You never pay for your own evaluation. At PLS, the evaluation takes place during screening, before you are matched.
| Component | Length | Format | Who attends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical interview | One session (about 90 minutes to two hours, including the partner portion) | Usually by video | You and the evaluator |
| Partner interview | Part of the same session | Usually by video | Your spouse or live-in partner, with you or separately |
| Standardized test | Taken on your own time (about one to two hours) | Online or on paper | You alone |
| Joint match session | About an hour, if your match includes one | Usually by video | You, your partner, the intended parents and a mental health professional |
What the session covers
The clinical interview is a conversation, not an interrogation. It is long and personal. Expect the evaluator to ask about:
- Why you want to carry for another family. There is no correct answer. The evaluator is listening for a reason that is your own, not pressure from someone else and not money alone.
- Your childhood and family. How you grew up, and your relationships with your family now.
- Your pregnancies, deliveries and any losses. How you felt during and after each one, physically and emotionally.
- Your mental health history. Any depression, anxiety or postpartum mood changes, and how they were treated.
- Your support system. Who will help with your children during appointments, the transfer trip and recovery.
- Hard decisions. How you would handle a termination decision for a non-viable pregnancy, a failed transfer, a miscarriage, or a strained relationship with the intended parents.
- Your expectations. How much contact you want with the intended parents during the pregnancy and after the birth.
- Saying goodbye. How you picture the moment the baby goes home with the parents, and how you will explain it to your own children.
If you have a history of depression or anxiety, the evaluator will ask about it directly. A treated history is not an automatic no. See antidepressants, anxiety medication and surrogacy for how PLS and the clinics handle it.
The written test: MMPI-2 or PAI
Along with the interview, you complete a standardized personality questionnaire, usually the MMPI-2 (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) or the PAI (Personality Assessment Inventory). These are long lists of true-or-false or multiple-choice statements about how you think, feel and act.
The test is not something you study for, and there are no trick answers to find. It is designed to give the evaluator a consistent picture across candidates and to notice patterns that an interview alone might miss. It also checks whether answers are consistent, so trying to present a polished version of yourself tends to stand out more than simply answering as you are.
Find a quiet stretch of time, read each item, and answer the first honest way that comes to you.
Does your partner participate?
Yes. If you are married or have a live-in partner, they join part of the evaluation.
Your partner will live this pregnancy with you. They will handle more of the childcare on appointment days, notice when you are tired, and answer the questions neighbors and family ask. The evaluator wants to hear, from your partner directly, that they support your decision and understand what it involves. Typical topics include how they feel about you carrying for another family, how household work will be shared, and their comfort with medical and legal decisions you will make.
Your partner is also part of the agreement. Partner lost wages are included in every PLS surrogate's package, because your partner may take time off around the transfer, delivery and recovery.
If you are single, the evaluator will spend that time on your support network instead: the people you would call when you need help.
What results can look like: cleared, cleared with support, not cleared
You receive results within about a week. There are three broad outcomes.
Cleared. The evaluator finds that surrogacy is a sound decision for you now. This is the most common result.
Cleared with support. The evaluator clears you and recommends something to put in place, such as regular check-ins with a counselor during the pregnancy, or a plan for extra childcare. Mental-health support is already part of every PLS surrogate's package, so this recommendation is easy to follow. See mental health support for surrogates.
Not cleared. It is uncommon, but you can fail the evaluation. Usually it means the timing is wrong: a recent loss, a major life change, a relationship under strain, or a mood that has not been stable long enough. Your case manager will tell you plainly what the evaluator found, and whether a later application makes sense.
How to prepare (and why you should not rehearse)
The single most useful thing you can do is make space. The evaluation is usually by video, often on Zoom. Schedule it during nap time, or arrange childcare, so you can focus and answer without interruptions. Use a private room. Make sure your partner knows when their part begins.
Before the session, think through the questions above on your own, and talk them over with your partner. Not to settle on answers, but so nothing catches you off guard. Some questions, like the one about termination, deserve thought before someone asks you out loud.
Do not rehearse. Evaluators who specialize in surrogacy have heard practiced answers before, and a practiced answer sounds practiced. More to the point, the evaluation exists to protect you. If something in your life makes this the wrong time, you want that to surface now, before medications, a legal agreement and a pregnancy, not halfway through.
If you are nervous, ask your case manager. Jenni Symons, who wrote this page, is a surrogate who delivered in 2019 and 2021. Natalie Gaudio-Fricano delivered as a surrogate in 2016. Both know what it is like to sit on the other side of the screen.
Is there a second evaluation with the intended parents?
Some matches include a joint session after matching, with you, your partner, the intended parents and a mental health professional. It is not a second test. If your match has one, it is a structured conversation about expectations: how often you will be in touch during the pregnancy, who will be at the delivery, and what contact looks like after the birth.
The intended parents complete their own consultation with a mental health professional as well, separate from yours.
Your formal psychological evaluation is part of screening; matching, any joint meeting and the legal agreement come after. See how matching works and the full surrogate process.
If you are ready to begin, the five-minute prescreen is at See if I qualify.
Sources
- ASRM (American Society for Reproductive Medicine), recommendations for practices using gestational carriers, including psychological evaluation and counseling. asrm.org
- SEEDS (Society for Ethics in Egg Donation and Surrogacy), ethical standards for third-party reproduction. Nancy Block, RN, PLS's founder, is a former President.