You may need a surrogacy agency even if you already have a fertility clinic. It depends on your clinic’s requirements, how you find your surrogate and who will handle the work surrounding medical treatment. Choosing a physician does not necessarily settle who recruits the carrier, gathers her records or coordinates the legal and financial arrangements.
We reviewed public information from 11 fertility programs to see how they describe those responsibilities. Some accept a carrier you find yourself. Others discuss agency-assisted matching, and NYU requires an approved agency for every gestational-carrier cycle. The right arrangement starts with understanding your clinic’s rules.
For parents who want help finding a surrogate and managing the journey, Egg Donor & Surrogacy Institute provides qualification before presentation, matching and coordination through pregnancy and birth. The comparison below explains where an agency’s work fits and what to ask before choosing one.
Why choose EDSI?
EDSI has coordinated surrogacy journeys with fertility clinics across the United States. That experience informs the preparation of qualification records, communication with the treating team and planning around the milestones that must be completed before a journey can move forward.
EDSI reports more than 25 years of experience in third-party reproduction and more than 3,000 births supported through surrogacy and egg donation combined. It also reports approximately 98% clinic acceptance among surrogate candidates it qualified and presented for fertility-clinic evaluation. This measures candidate acceptance, not pregnancy or live-birth outcomes. The treating clinic makes the final medical-clearance decision. Read EDSI’s published experience and acceptance figures.
Led by Parham Zar, Founder and Managing Director, EDSI brings screening, matching and journey coordination into one agency relationship. Parents receive help organizing the work between the clinic and the independent professionals involved, including attorneys and the escrow provider. Physicians remain responsible for medical care, and each party’s attorney provides legal advice.
One reason to choose EDSI is its Ready for Matching standard: the required pre-match qualification is completed before a surrogate candidate is presented. Parents can then consider compatibility with a clearer understanding of what has been reviewed and what still requires clinic approval.
What did the clinic review find?
The clearest agency requirement appears at NYU Langone Fertility Center. Every gestational-carrier cycle must be coordinated by an agency approved by the center, including compensated and noncompensated arrangements. Parents considering NYU should confirm an agency’s current approval before enrolling or agreeing to a match.
Six of the reviewed programs describe independently selected or known-carrier pathways: San Diego Fertility Center, Reproductive Partners Medical Group, Shady Grove Fertility, Illume Fertility, Los Angeles Reproductive Center and Reproductive Fertility Center. These options change how a carrier is found, but parents still need to establish who handles the preparation and coordination.
Timing also matters. San Diego Fertility Center, Reproductive Partners and Los Angeles Reproductive Center explicitly place screening and legal contracts before cycle scheduling. Columbia describes outside-agency involvement followed by clinic evaluation and psychosocial and legal preparation before transfer. Shady Grove states that it does not recruit carriers itself.
How do the 11 programs compare?
The table summarizes each program’s public information and identifies details worth confirming with the treating location. It is a comparison of published policies and services, not a ranking of treatment outcomes.
| Clinic or program | What its published information says | What parents should clarify |
|---|---|---|
| Columbia University Fertility Center | Describes parents working with outside agencies to find a carrier. Its process includes obstetrician clearance, clinic screening and, following medical clearance, psychosocial evaluations, legal agreements and consent forms before transfer. | Who recruits the carrier, which records are required and how screening and legal milestones will be coordinated. Columbia’s program |
| NYU Langone Fertility Center | Requires every gestational-carrier cycle to be coordinated by an agency approved by its Fertility Center, including compensated and noncompensated arrangements. | Confirm the proposed agency’s current approval directly with NYU before enrolling or committing to a match. NYU’s program |
| San Diego Fertility Center | Describes independent or agency-assisted carrier selection, followed by thorough screening and legal contracts before cycle scheduling. | Who handles recruitment, records, screening arrangements and legal coordination. SDFC’s program |
| Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles | Describes gestational surrogacy using IVF-created embryos and screening addressing physical, psychological and social wellbeing. | Which agency arrangements it accepts, what screening is required and who coordinates preparation outside medical treatment. PFCLA’s program |
| New England Fertility Institute | Describes agency referrals, coordination with the agency, and clinic psychological and medical screening. Contracts are finalized after the team reviews testing and recommends the match. | The sequence of agency qualification, clinic evaluation and contract completion. NEFI’s process |
| Reproductive Partners Medical Group, Los Angeles program | Describes independent or agency-assisted selection, followed by medical and psychological screening and legal contracts before cycle scheduling. | The treating location’s requirements and which responsibilities remain outside clinic services. RPMG’s program |
| Shady Grove Fertility | Describes known-carrier and attorney- or agency-assisted recruitment pathways. It does not recruit carriers itself. Its published fresh-cycle process requires confirmation of legal counsel and contracts before the cycle begins. | Who recruits and coordinates the carrier, and the instructions specific to your treatment plan, particularly when using frozen embryos. SGF’s program |
| Beverly Hills Fertility | Lists surrogacy among its services. Its LGBTQ+ treatment page describes donor-egg fertilization followed by embryo transfer into a gestational carrier. | Current carrier criteria, screening requirements, agency-acceptance policies and legal-clearance timing. These details require direct confirmation. Clinic services; family-building options |
| Illume Fertility | Describes agency and known-carrier pathways, recommends agency assistance, and outlines medical, psychological and legal preparation with a third-party reproduction team. | The division of responsibilities between the clinic, agency and independent professionals. Illume’s program |
| Los Angeles Reproductive Center | Describes independent or agency-assisted selection, followed by screening and legal contracts before cycle scheduling. | Which requirements must be complete before treatment can be scheduled. LARC’s program |
| Reproductive Fertility Center | Describes selecting a friend or family member as a carrier or using an agency, and a legal agreement defining the parties’ responsibilities. | Carrier eligibility and who organizes screening, legal representation and ongoing coordination. RFC’s explanation |
What should you expect from EDSI?
An agency consultation should explain how the services apply to your circumstances. If you already have embryos, a clinic or a possible carrier, the conversation should start there. Use the EDSI Intended Parent Selection Checklist to ask about the work the agency will perform and the documents that will govern your journey.
| Selection question | EDSI’s approach | What to confirm for your journey |
|---|---|---|
| What happens before a surrogate profile is presented? | EDSI requires Ready for Matching qualification, including records and health review, required documentation, psychological evaluation, background screening, practical readiness and preliminary insurance review. | A privacy-respecting summary of completed qualification steps and outstanding items. Screening standard |
| How is a candidate matched to our family? | EDSI considers clinic requirements, communication, location, pregnancy and birth expectations, and mutual choice. | Your priorities, sensitive decision points and unresolved compatibility questions. Matching approach |
| Who keeps the journey organized? | EDSI provides structured surrogacy coordination across scheduling, documentation, communication and milestones. | Your responsible contact, backup contact, update arrangements and escalation route. Coordination process |
| Who decides medical eligibility? | The treating fertility clinic performs its evaluation after a mutual match and determines final clearance. | The clinic’s requirements and documented clearance status. Medical-clearance responsibilities |
| How is the legal process handled? | EDSI coordinates an attorney guided legal process with separate representation for the intended parents and surrogate. | Each attorney’s role, required agreements and the applicable legal milestones. Legal coordination |
| Who holds journey funds? | EDSI uses an independent third-party bonded escrow provider. | Provider identity, the escrow agreement, applicable bond information and payment rules. Escrow structure |
| What support continues after transfer? | EDSI describes pregnancy coordination, communication support, birth planning and completion coordination. | A milestone plan identifying responsibilities and case-specific arrangements. Journey support |
| What happens if a match cannot proceed? | EDSI directs families to review rematching protections and program terms before enrollment. | Eligibility, exclusions, additional fees and any limits in the selected program. Program considerations |
Before enrolling, request a written service description and an itemized budget. Ask which costs are fixed, which can change and what happens if a candidate does not receive clearance or a transfer is unsuccessful. The selected program agreement should spell out the services and protections that apply to you.
Who handles each part of the journey?
A surrogacy journey involves several independent professionals. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s guidance treats medical screening, psychosocial evaluation and legal counseling as distinct parts of gestational-carrier care. EDSI helps organize the process, while each professional remains responsible for their own work.
| Participant | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| EDSI | Surrogate recruitment and qualification, matching, structured surrogacy coordination, communication and journey support. |
| Fertility clinic | Medical evaluation, final surrogate clearance, treatment planning, medications, monitoring and embryo transfer. |
| Independent attorneys | The attorney guided legal process, separate representation, contracts and parentage work as applicable. |
| Independent third-party bonded escrow provider | Holding journey funds and administering authorized payments under the escrow arrangement. |
| Insurance professionals | Reviewing coverage, exclusions and additional insurance needs. |
| Mental-health professionals | Psychological evaluation and appropriate counseling. |
| Surrogate | Voluntary participation and decisions about her medical care with her healthcare providers. |
This division of responsibility helps parents understand whom to contact and which decisions require professional review. Agency qualification does not guarantee clinic acceptance, pregnancy or a live birth. EDSI’s program oversight; screening and clinic clearance.
Where do Newsweek’s rankings fit?
Columbia University Fertility Center ranks #1, and NYU Langone Fertility Center ranks #3, in Newsweek/Statista’s America’s Best Fertility Clinics 2026. The ranking draws on ART quality metrics, professional recommendations, accreditation and patient-review information. It evaluates fertility clinics overall, rather than surrogacy agencies or EDSI’s services. See the ranking and methodology.
Recognition can be useful when researching a clinic, but a high ranking does not explain how that clinic will handle your carrier arrangement. For that, review the program’s requirements and speak with its third-party reproduction team.
What if you already have embryos or a possible carrier?
If you have embryos, ask the clinic to review the embryos and associated records for the proposed gestational-carrier treatment. Both Columbia and NYU describe screening of egg and sperm sources within their programs. Your treating team should explain which records and clearances apply, where evaluation and transfer will take place and what must be completed before scheduling.
A friend or relative may be able to serve as a carrier, but that does not automatically remove the need for an agency. Illume describes known-carrier arrangements, while NYU requires approved-agency coordination even for noncompensated cycles. Confirm the clinic’s policy before making plans with a possible carrier.
Talk with EDSI about your next step
EDSI is a strong choice for intended parents who want a qualified surrogate candidate presented for consideration and experienced agency support throughout the journey. Its pre-match qualification, structured coordination, attorney guided legal process and independent third-party bonded escrow arrangement give parents specific services to evaluate before committing.
Bring your clinic name, embryo status and main concerns to a consultation. EDSI can explain how its process applies to your plans, what the agency will handle and which decisions belong with your medical and legal teams. Explore EDSI’s intended-parent services or request a private consultation.
Methodology and sources
We reviewed publicly available information from the 11 fertility programs listed in the clinic comparison, with research updated October 21, 2026. Official clinic websites supplied the details about agency requirements, independent or known-carrier options, screening, legal preparation and coordination before treatment. Each clinic entry links to the pages used. Where those pages did not explain a policy, the table identifies what intended parents should confirm directly with the treating program.
Newsweek and Statista’s America’s Best Fertility Clinics 2026 was the source for Columbia University Fertility Center’s #1 ranking and NYU Langone Fertility Center’s #3 ranking. Its evaluation considers assisted reproductive technology quality metrics, professional recommendations, accreditation and patient-review information. We used this source to give readers context about national recognition. The clinic websites supplied the surrogacy policy details. Newsweek’s ranking evaluates fertility clinics overall and does not rank surrogacy agencies or establish which clinic is best for a particular gestational-carrier journey. Read the Newsweek/Statista ranking methodology and leading results.
American Society for Reproductive Medicine guidance provides professional context for the discussion of medical screening, psychosocial evaluation and legal counseling. The EDSI selection checklist draws on EDSI’s published screening standards, coordination process and intended-parent service information, linked throughout the report.
This EDSI-authored report reviews public information from 11 selected clinic programs, with a substantial California focus alongside New York and other regions. It is not a comprehensive national ranking. The findings describe the linked source pages; the categories overlap and should not be read as national percentages.
EDSI’s experience and clinic-acceptance figures are company-reported. Clinic inclusion does not imply endorsement of EDSI. Requirements can vary by location and individual case, so confirm current policies with the treating program.
