Our education, preparation and screening programme for surrogates

 

Pioneered and fine-tuned over more than a decade, our unique preparation programme helps you understand whether surrogacy is right for you and, if so, to prepare for your journey

Our programme prepares you for surrogacy at every stage

 

Our exclusive pre-match programme for surrogates is designed to coach you so you can make confident informed decisions at every step. We will go at your pace, giving you whatever support, time and space you need.

Steered by surrogate manager Tracey, who is an experienced surrogate and egg donor, our education programme will guide you through the issues you need to think about, answer all your questions and those of your family and support you through as many calls or meetings as you need.

Understanding your expenses is also a key part of our programme. We will  work through your expenses in fine detail, helping you consider all variables and settle what your family needs financially to make surrogacy possible for you.

We also work closely with other professionals, including specialist BICA-approved fertility counsellors who will help you explore your feelings in a safe space before you are matched, our in-house clinical psychologist who will help you explore your values and motivations, and our in-house nurse and medical screening consultant.

Keeping you and your family safe

 

We want Brilliant Surrogates to have a rewarding and fulfilling surrogacy experience, and not to be at risk of suffering phsyical or emotional harm as a result of carrying a child for someone else.

Our preparation programme includes health screening, background checks and a psychological evaluation with a clinical psychologist, all designed to confirm that surrogacy is safe for you. We will also talk to you in detail about your personal circumstances and make sure you have the support you will need.

We will work with you to advise you on whether we think surrogacy is right, at this time, for you and your family.

Helping us match you

 

Our unique approach to matching and support means we will get to know you in depth. A big part of our preparation programme is therefore exploring your preferences, values and hopes for your surrogacy journey.

What makes our programme so different is that as we are learning about you while you are learning what’s important to you as a surrogate. We do it together.

We also lean on others for input. We take personal references, speaking to people you nominate to tell us more about you.

We are also the only UK surrogacy organisation to have a clinical psychologist undertake a detailed psychological evaluation. This is invaluable in exploring beneath the surface of your motivations, personal values and communication style. The recommendations will help you know yourself better, and will inform who we match you with and how we support you through the rest of your surrogacy journey.

What Brilliant Surrogates say about our preparation programme…

The tiniest bits of information I didn’t even remember mentioning were picked up on as matching points, and that’s just how well Brilliant Beginnings does this job. Trust the process. They know what they are doing.

Your clinical psychologist is very thorough and good at reading people. The report he built about me was spot on and I have taken on board his suggestions and concerns and made sure they are covered with my journey.

I have just graduated from screening. It was very thorough, but manageable. Tracey is easy to talk and to and was very flexible speaking to me in the evenings and so on.

I have loved the process. It’s a very vigorous screening process, which is needed, but actually I have found it really enjoyable and even thought-provoking to be honest.

Your clinical psychologist is there to guide you through and answer any questions you might have. He automatically makes you feel at ease. I learnt my strengths and weaknesses. I am glad I had the assessment with him as I learnt so much about myself.

It’s been such a good process. Through the screening process I have learnt such a lot about myself that I didn’t anticipated I would.

Tracey was super helpful all the way through. I liked that she always broke things down into smaller manageable chunks.

How we feel about working with surrogates

On the day we introduce an intended surrogate to her intended parents for the first time, everyone at BB and NGA holds our collective breath, waiting to hear if they want to move forward together to bring a baby into the world. The backdrop to this is the months in which we have got to know our surrogates, their families, their pregnancies and what they hope for in being a surrogate. We also learn what they like to do beyond surrogacy. Do they love card games? Or cosplay? Or nature walks? Or city breaks? What do their children enjoy? What foods do they like? The list is endless and as unique as each surrogate.

Our preparation programme isn’t just about screening whether our surrogates can carry a pregnancy for someone else safely. Our surrogates become a part of our community and our lives, just as our intended parents do, and we feel a huge responsibility to get it right for them. Our lives are all the better because of what these exceptional women give.

Helen, Founder

Want to know more?

 

Become a surrogate
Our matching process
Professional support