Psychological Evaluations

A psychological evaluation is not just for surrogates; it’s for intended parents as well. It is extremely important that everyone who participates in a surrogacy journey is psychologically prepared, properly informed, and ethically protected.

In this blog, we’ll discuss key things to know about ethical psychological evaluations and matching before starting a surrogacy journey.

Firstly, ethical psychological evaluations should:

1. Meet ASRM standards
2. Be conducted by a licensed mental health professionals practicing within appropriate state jurisdictions.
3. Assess clinical diagnoses, psychopathy and personality factors.
4. Provide a full biopsychosocial assessment covering mental health history, coping patterns, relational dynamics, reproductive history, and readiness for the emotional realities of surrogacy.
5. Prioritize ethical decision-making over speed or volume
6. Help guide matching, not just approve it

Types of Assessments Used in Surrogacy Psychological Evaluations

Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) or MMPI Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

What does a PAI or MMPI include?
These assessments are scientifically validated self-report questionnaire that assess a wide range of psychological variables, including:

• Mood and emotional functioning (e.g., depression, anxiety)
• Stress and tension
• Interpersonal style and relationship patterns
• Substance use concerns
• Impulse control and anger
• Personality traits and possible personality disorder features
• Positive resources (e.g., social support, treatment motivation)

It can help:

• Identify current or past difficulties (e.g., untreated depression, unresolved trauma)
• Highlight strengths (e.g., good stress tolerance, strong interpersonal skills)
• Reveal patterns that might complicate the surrogacy process, such as extreme conflict sensitivity, poor impulse control, or very fragile self-esteem

Ethical Matching

Ethical matching pairs surrogates with intended parents whose values, communication styles, and needs are compatible. Evaluation prior to matching has a higher likelihood of preventing emotional and financial fallout from poorly informed matches.

It’s More than clearance

• Reveals compatibility
• Communication styles
• Boundaries, and expectations
• Directly informing ethical matching decisions.

Matching should consider:

• Views on termination and selective reduction
• Willingness (or not) to carry multiples
• Comfort with invasive interventions, C-sections, and NICU stays
• Attitudes toward disabilities and chronic medical conditions
• Communication preferences and boundaries
• Cultural, religious and lifestyle considerations

Major mismatches in these areas can create intense conflict under stress and may put everyone in ethically fraught situations, especially the surrogate.

Psychological input can help anticipate where differences might feel bigger in real life than they look on paper.

Closure and Long-Term Wellbeing

Some surrogates and intended parent families maintain contact for years. Others do not. Some surrogates process their experience quickly; others continue to think about it and integrate it over a long period. Providing a framework for what healthy closure can look like — and making clear that there is no single “right” way to feel about a completed surrogacy journey — is a final gift that ethical practitioners can offer.