Parham Zar
Founder and Managing Director, Egg Donor & Surrogacy Institute
A practical perspective on surrogacy and egg donation
Parham Zar is the Founder and Managing Director of Egg Donor & Surrogacy Institute, a Beverly Hills based surrogacy and egg donation agency. He has worked in surrogacy, egg donation, and third party reproduction since 2001.
Under Parham’s leadership, EDSI reports that it has helped intended parents welcome more than 3,000 babies worldwide.
His work focuses on the operational side of family building: how surrogates are screened and matched, how intended parents are prepared for the process, and how agencies coordinate with fertility clinics, attorneys, psychologists, insurance professionals, and independent escrow providers.
Over the years, Parham has worked with intended parents from the United States and around the world, including LGBTQ+ parents, single parents, couples experiencing infertility, and families using egg donation or gestational surrogacy.
Media, commentary, and speaking
Parham is available to journalists, producers, podcast hosts, conference organizers, and researchers seeking an experienced operational perspective on surrogacy, egg donation, third party reproduction, and the ways reproductive law affects agency operations and intended parent planning.
Selected media appearances and commentary include Le Monde, Parade, CBS News, and Dr. Phil Primetime.
Parham also speaks on surrogacy, egg donation, ethical agency practices, intended parent education, international family building, and third party reproduction. His perspective is based on agency operations and professional coordination. Parham is not a physician or attorney and does not provide medical or legal advice.
Podcast and media interviews: Explore Parham’s podcast appearances, guest topics, and booking information.
Surrogate screening and matching
Parham frequently speaks about the difference between qualifying a surrogate and determining whether she is appropriate for a particular journey.
Responsible screening can include review of pregnancy and delivery history, medical records, psychological evaluation, background information, insurance considerations, communication preferences, expectations about the pregnancy, and readiness for the demands of a surrogacy journey.
Fertility clinics ultimately determine medical eligibility for treatment. The agency’s role is different. It is to gather information, identify potential concerns, coordinate the appropriate professional reviews, and help intended parents and surrogates make informed decisions about whether a match makes sense.
A candidate can be medically acceptable and still not be the right match for a particular family. Parham’s approach is to look at the full picture before a match moves forward.
Oversight across the full agency program
As Founder and Managing Director, Parham oversees EDSI’s structured surrogacy and egg donation programs across the full journey. That includes intake, screening, matching, intended parent preparation, professional coordination, insurance review, escrow coordination, legal milestones, clinic clearance, transfer preparation, pregnancy support, delivery planning, and post-birth coordination.
His oversight is operational and programmatic. Medical decisions are made by fertility clinics and physicians, and legal advice and representation are provided by independent attorneys. Parham’s role is to make sure the stages connect properly, the right professionals are involved, important issues are identified early, and families understand what is happening throughout the process.
Intended parent education and financial transparency
Many intended parents begin surrogacy without knowing which questions they should be asking. Parham works with families to understand the roles of the different professionals involved, what agency screening does and does not establish, how matching decisions are made, how costs can change during a journey, how insurance and escrow fit into the process, and where unexpected issues can arise.
He believes intended parents should understand how an agency operates before signing an agreement, not after a problem develops.
Independent escrow
EDSI uses independent third party escrow providers to manage client journey funds rather than holding those funds itself.
Parham’s perspective on financial transparency is practical: estimates should explain their assumptions, intended parents should understand which expenses are fixed and which are variable, and the responsibilities of the agency, escrow provider, attorneys, insurers, and other professionals should be clearly separated.
Professional network and risk reduction
Parham works with established IVF clinics, reproductive attorneys, psychologists, insurance professionals, and other specialists involved in third party reproduction. EDSI’s role is to coordinate these professionals and help families move through a complex process with clearer responsibilities, documentation, and communication.
The goal is a safer, legally structured pathway for family building, while recognizing that medical outcomes and legal determinations remain the responsibility of the appropriate independent professionals.
International and LGBTQ+ family building
A significant part of Parham’s work has involved intended parents building families across state and national borders.
International intended parents often face additional coordination involving travel, fertility treatment, insurance, legal planning with independent counsel, birth arrangements, documentation, and communication across time zones. Parham’s role is to help coordinate the moving parts and keep families informed about what needs to happen and when.
Parham also works with LGBTQ+ intended parents, single parents, and couples using surrogacy or egg donation. These journeys often involve several independent professionals, and clear coordination before treatment begins can prevent avoidable confusion later.
About Egg Donor & Surrogacy Institute
Egg Donor & Surrogacy Institute is a Beverly Hills based surrogacy and egg donation agency founded in 2001. EDSI works with intended parents, surrogates, and egg donors while coordinating with independent fertility clinics, reproductive attorneys, psychologists, insurance professionals, and escrow providers throughout the family building process.
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