What is a surrogacy matching platform?
This page is written by Private Label Surrogacy, a full-service agency. Every statement about Nodal is verified from Nodal's own public materials as of [date checked], and the page is reviewed by counsel before it is published.
A surrogacy matching platform is a website where intended parents and surrogates find each other. The platform charges a fee for access and, depending on the service, pre-screens surrogates to its own criteria. After the match, the journey belongs to the two parties and the professionals they hire.
A full-service agency does the matching too, but matching is one step of many. The agency also recruits and screens the surrogate, and manages the 18 to 24 months that follow.
The platform model can be faster and cheaper up front. It suits parents who want to run their own journey and are comfortable coordinating attorneys, escrow, insurance and the clinic themselves. The agency model costs more and carries that coordination for you. Neither is right for everyone.
What does Nodal do and not do?
Nodal is a matching platform where intended parents and pre-screened surrogates find each other, according to TechCrunch reporting on November 5, 2024. It advertises a match in 45 days.
After a match on Nodal, legal work, escrow and clinic coordination are the parties' responsibility, handled with the professionals they hire.
As reported in November 2024, Nodal charges a $500 monthly subscription and then a $15,000 facilitation fee, lower than a full agency fee. These figures are being verified on nodal.com.
Nodal pre-screens surrogates to its own criteria. What that screening includes, and whether a physician reads each surrogate's full prenatal and delivery records: [from nodal.com, with date checked].
Before you sign up with any platform, read its own description of what it does and does not do, and keep a dated copy.
What does a full-service agency do that a platform does not?
At Private Label Surrogacy, the agency work is done by named people:
- Recruiting. PLS recruits surrogates in surrogacy-friendly US states.
- Screening. Seven steps before you see a profile, described below.
- Matching. Nancy Block, RN, personally runs matching. She has made more than 2,500 matches across her career.
- Coordination. A case manager coordinates your clinic, the surrogate's local monitoring, travel, two independent attorneys, an independent licensed escrow agent and the insurance review. Two case managers, Natalie Gaudio-Fricano and Jenni Symons, both former surrogates, carry every active match.
- Support for the surrogate. Mental-health support and at least six nutrition consults with Julie Bendix, MPH, RD, LD, CLC.
- After hours. One night the after-hours team rebooked a stranded surrogate's hotel, car and flight while another PLS surrogate delivered twins.
PLS does not employ attorneys, psychologists or escrow staff. It refers you to independent licensed professionals, on purpose, so no one in your journey answers to the agency.
Screening depth: who read the surrogate's medical records?
"Pre-screened" can mean many things. It can mean a questionnaire, an identity check, a background check, or a medical records review. Ask what it means on the platform you are using.
At PLS, every candidate completes:
- Application.
- Interview.
- Records review by Mark Silverberg, DDS, MD.
- Background check.
- Insurance review.
- Psychological evaluation by an independent licensed professional.
- Clinic medical screening.
Dr. Silverberg, Executive Director, reads each candidate's prenatal and delivery records himself and writes a physician medical summary that goes to your fertility clinic. The PLS agency agreement defines this as review by a board-certified physician.
Why it matters: your clinic will screen any surrogate before transfer. If she is ruled out at that stage, the legal work, travel and testing you have already paid for are spent, and you start again. A physician's review before the match lowers that risk.
Ask any platform: does a physician read the full prenatal and delivery records before a surrogate's profile goes live?
Cost: platform fee vs agency fee vs total journey
The fee to find a surrogate is one line in a long budget. Most costs are the same whether you match on a platform or through an agency:
- Surrogate compensation. At PLS, the typical total package is roughly $68,000 to $78,000, including first-time base compensation of $60,000. Confirm with Nancy.
- Legal, escrow, psychological evaluation, background check, insurance review, travel and monitoring: $15,300 to $29,000 at PLS.
- A surrogate health policy if her plan excludes surrogacy: $5,000 to $40,000.
- IVF and clinic fees, paid to the clinic.
A whole journey typically costs $150,000 to $210,000, including clinic fees and insurance.
| Matching platform (Nodal) | Full-service agency (PLS) | Platform match plus PLS Cycle Management | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who recruits | Surrogates join the platform; recruiting details from nodal.com, dated | PLS | The platform; you find her there |
| Who screens and how | Pre-screened to Nodal's own criteria; details from nodal.com, dated | Seven steps, including physician records review | PLS screening review, including physician records review |
| Match mechanics | Parents and surrogates find each other online; advertises a 45-day match (TechCrunch, November 2024) | Nancy Block, RN, runs matching; both sides accept | Already matched |
| Fee | $500 a month subscription, then a $15,000 facilitation fee (TechCrunch, November 2024) | $47,500 program fee | Platform fee plus $15,000 Cycle Management ($12,500 for active-duty military) |
| Legal, escrow, insurance | The parties' responsibility, with the professionals they hire | Coordinated by PLS; independent attorneys and licensed escrow | Coordinated by PLS; independent attorneys and licensed escrow |
| Journey management | Left to the parties | Case manager through birth | PLS through birth |
| After-hours support | [from nodal.com, dated] | PLS after-hours team | Included (confirm Cycle Management scope with Nancy) |
| Rematch policy | [from nodal.com, dated] | A rematch before the first embryo transfer carries no additional agency fee. The Assured tier ($62,500) adds priority matching, unlimited rematches and no second agency fee if the first surrogate cannot proceed. | [confirm with Nancy] |
The PLS program fee is $47,500. It is paid $22,500 at signing, $20,000 at surrogate acceptance and $5,000 at medical clearance. See the itemized surrogacy cost page.
Who manages the journey after the match?
On a platform, you do. Here is what comes after the match, and roughly when:
- Legal and medical foundations, 1 to 2 months. Two independent attorneys draft and negotiate the agreement. Escrow is funded. The surrogate's insurance is reviewed. The clinic completes medical screening.
- Medical cycle, 2 to 3 months. Medications, monitoring near her home, travel for transfer.
- Pregnancy test, 9 to 11 days after transfer.
- Pregnancy and birth. Payments from escrow, insurance claims, the hospital plan, the parentage filing, and the calls that come at night.
At an agency, a case manager carries that list with you. At PLS, the whole journey typically runs 18 to 24 months, with one of two named case managers on it.
If you are weighing other models, compare agency vs clinic-run programs and boutique vs national agencies.
A hybrid option: match on a platform, hire PLS for Cycle Management
You can use both. If you find a surrogate on a platform, PLS's Cycle Management handles the agency work without the matching fee:
- Screening review, including records review by Dr. Silverberg.
- Contract coordination with independent attorneys for each side.
- Escrow setup with an independent licensed escrow agent.
- Insurance review.
- Journey management through birth.
The Cycle Management fee is $15,000, or $12,500 for active-duty military families.
If PLS's screening finds that the surrogate does not meet the medical criteria, you learn it before money goes into legal work and travel. That is the main reason to add screening to a platform match.
To see whether the hybrid fits your plans, plan my journey.
Sources
- Nodal public website, nodal.com. [Page URLs and dates checked to be added.]
- TechCrunch, reporting on Nodal's fees and model, November 5, 2024.
- Private Label Surrogacy fee schedule, compensation schedule, screening process and timeline.