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.

Published May 20, 2026

The questionnaire is the easy part. It's 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 schedule the call within a day or two 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. All of it is valid. We just want to understand where you're starting from.

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 (and you'll need them on board — agencies require it). 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.

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? None of this is a test — we're trying to get an honest picture so the agency we match you to is set up 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, the number of embryos transferred, and communication during and after the pregnancy. Good agencies use this to match you carefully. The best ones won't push you past anything you've told them is a hard line.

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.

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 a few 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.