What to Expect on Your Borne Screening Call
If your questionnaire is a fit, the next step is a 30-minute conversation. Here's exactly what we cover, why we cover it, and what happens after we hang up.
The Borne screening call is a relaxed 30-minute video conversation, with nothing to prepare in advance, where we talk through why you're drawn to surrogacy, your support system, your pregnancy history, your preferences for a match, and your timing. Within 2 business days afterward, we come back to you with a match introduction to a partner agency, a short waiting period, or a clear explanation of anything we want to work through first.
The questionnaire is the easy part. It's about ten minutes, mostly checkboxes, and it tells us whether you meet the baseline guidelines that nearly every surrogacy agency uses. The screening call is where we actually get to know you — and where most surrogates start to feel like a real person is finally on the other end of this process, not a form.
We reach out to schedule the call within 2 business days of your questionnaire being approved. It's a video call, usually 30 minutes, and you don't need to prepare anything in advance. No documents, no medical records, no quizzes. Just a conversation.
Who you'll be talking to
You'll be on a call with someone from Borne — most often the founder herself, or a member of the team who has personally walked through a surrogacy journey. That's intentional. We don't outsource this part to a call center, and you won't be asked to recite your medical history to someone reading from a script.
The person on the call has read your questionnaire before you joined. So we're not going to ask you to repeat what you've already told us. We're starting from what you wrote and going one layer deeper.
What we actually ask
The call tends to flow through a handful of areas. Not every call hits every topic — it depends on what's already clear from your questionnaire — but here's the general shape.
Your "why"
The first question is almost always the same: what drew you to surrogacy? We're not looking for a polished answer. People come to this for all kinds of reasons — a friend or family member who struggled with infertility, a sense that pregnancy is something their body does well and they want to use that, a desire to do something meaningful while their kids are young. There's no single right answer, and we just want to understand where you're starting from. Your motivation will come up again in your psychological evaluation, where the goal is to make sure this is something you want to do for another family, freely and without pressure.
Your support system
Surrogacy is a long process, and the people around you matter. If you have a partner, we'll ask whether they're supportive - they'll need to be fully on board, since they'll also meet with a mental health professional and sign the contract with you. If you're a single parent, we'll talk about who helps with childcare, who you'd lean on during a transfer or delivery, and how your kids feel about it, because your main support person is part of the psychological evaluation too.
Your pregnancy history
You filled out the basics on the questionnaire — number of pregnancies, deliveries, any complications. On the call we go a little deeper. Did your pregnancies feel easy, or were they hard? Any preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm labor? How long ago was your last delivery, and how was your recovery? There are no wrong answers, but these details do matter - ASRM guidance says a carrier should ideally have had at least one full-term, uncomplicated pregnancy - so an honest picture helps us point you to the right next step and set up the agency to support you well.
Your preferences
This is the part most surrogates don't realize they get a say in. We ask what kind of intended parents you're hoping to be matched with — open communication or more privacy, a local family or one further away, a couple or single parent, any specific values or religious considerations. We also ask about boundaries - what you're comfortable with around things like selective reduction and communication during and after the pregnancy. On embryos, ASRM strongly recommends transferring just one in every surrogacy cycle. Good agencies use all of this to match you carefully. And no matter who you match with, decisions about your own body stay yours - no contract can force you into or out of a medical procedure.
Logistics and timing
When are you hoping to start? Are you currently nursing, on hormonal birth control, or trying to lose weight? Most surrogates need a 3–6 month runway before they can be cleared for medical screening, and we want to be realistic about that with you.
On this call we don't dig into your finances or your relationship in detail, or anything that feels invasive. (Later, the psychological evaluation will - ASRM guidance asks the mental health professional to talk with you about things like your income, your relationship, and how you plan to use your compensation, so it's worth knowing that's coming.) We don't ask for medical records on the call — those come later, with the agency. And we don't pressure you to commit to anything on the call. If you decide afterward this isn't the right time, just tell us. That's a perfectly fine outcome.
What you should ask us
The call goes both ways. By the time we hang up, you should know enough about the process to decide whether you want to keep going. Some good questions to bring:
- What agencies are you likely to match me with, and why?
- What's the realistic timeline from here to a transfer?
- What does compensation look like for someone with my profile?
- What happens if a match doesn't work out?
- What support do I have access to during the pregnancy?
You don't have to ask all of these. But if you're sitting on a question — even an awkward one — bring it. We'd rather answer it now than have you sit on it for weeks.
What happens after the call
Within 2 business days, we'll come back to you with one of three things:
- A match introduction — we've identified one or two partner agencies whose current intended-parent pool fits your profile and preferences, and we'll introduce you.
- A short waiting period — you're a fit, but the right intended-parent match isn't on our partners' boards yet. We'll stay in touch and reach out when it is.
- A pivot — there's something in your situation (timing, a specific medical question, a state law issue) that we want to work through before introducing you to an agency. We'll explain exactly what and what to do about it.
You're never left wondering. If we say no for now, we tell you why and what could change.
Common questions
Do I need to prepare anything for a surrogacy screening call?
No. Borne's screening call needs no documents, no medical records, and no preparation - it is a conversation that starts from what you already wrote on your questionnaire.
What questions are asked on a surrogacy screening call?
Expect to talk about what drew you to surrogacy, who supports you, how your pregnancies and recoveries went, what kind of intended parents and communication you are hoping for, and when you would like to start. Not every call covers every topic, since it depends on what is already clear from your questionnaire.
Does my partner need to be involved in becoming a surrogate?
Yes, if you have one. Your partner needs to be fully on board, because under ASRM guidance they also meet with a mental health professional and they sign the contract with you; if you are single, your main support person takes part in the psychological evaluation.
Will a surrogacy screening ask about my finances?
Borne's screening call does not dig into your finances or relationship in detail. Later, the psychological evaluation will, because ASRM guidance asks the mental health professional to talk with you about things like your income, your relationship, and how you plan to use your compensation.
What questions should I ask on a surrogacy screening call?
Good ones include which agencies you are likely to be matched with and why, the realistic timeline to a transfer, what compensation looks like for someone with your profile, what happens if a match does not work out, and what support you have during the pregnancy.
Start with the questionnaire.
About 10 minutes. No medical exams, no commitment. If you're a fit, we'll reach out to schedule the call.
See if you qualify →