One of the hardest things to do in surrogacy is wait. This goes for all parties: the IPs, the surrogate, the egg donor, the agency coordinator, etc. It's so hard to wait when something so amazing is almost in your grasp; you just have to put the final pieces of the puzzle into place. Waiting is also one of the most important things in surrogacy. Imagine rushing into any other type of commitment and the consequences it can have. You might meet a lovely couple or a lovely woman wanting to be a surrogate and think, "this is it! Let's get this show on the road!" but there are so many important factors to consider.
The BIG questions have to be discussed before you ever move forward. How many embryos will we transfer? Are we open to reduction/termination? What will our fees be? What type of birthing situation would we like? A good agency can and should help you to dicuss these items and may even do some of this screening before you even meet in person. It may seem a little odd to talk about so many intimate details right off the bat, but it's important to be sure everyone is on the same page.
One of the things I've seen so many people do is compromise their true desires and end up disappointed or in a position they did not want to be in. The effects of this decision can run the range from casting a shadow of awkwardness over the journey to ending up with procedures you agreed to, on paper, but never thought you'd have to actually go through with. True matching should go over the seemingly trivial details and the hard, heavy items ad naseum so that no one has regrets later down the line. People tend to get caught up in the emotion of the process and think, "This is almost what I want so those few things won't matter." Trust me, they matter. They matter a lot. So, slow down, think it through, stick to what you originally want for your journey.. You might have to wait a little longer, but the wait is worth it. Not much is finite and predictable in surrogacy (or life!) but the more solid foundation you lay, the better the process will be. Trying to shove pieces together that don't fit never works out well. Practicing patience to find that perfect match is one of the smartest decisions anyone involved in surrogacy can make.
