Surrogate psychological screening includes an interview, a written test and a talk about what carrying a baby could mean for your family. A trained mental health specialist leads the visit. Your partner or main support person should expect to take part.1 At LittleBee, you can tell me what worries you before you apply.
What happens at the appointment, and how long does it take?
The interview and tests can take about two hours2, with the report written afterward3. Plan for time to talk as well as time to answer the questionnaire.4 Check whether your booking covers both, or whether you need separate time. When you arrange childcare or time off, count the whole visit.
You may have talked with a therapist before. This visit has a different task: it helps decide if you’re ready for a surrogacy arrangement. It also gives you space to talk through what carrying could ask of you. The person leading it should have training and experience in working with surrogate applicants.1 They also need the right license and training to use the tests5.
You’ll take part in three things:
- A conversation about you. You’ll talk about your health, family, past care and how you handle stress. This helps explain your life beyond the answers on an application.
- A written test. MMPI is a questionnaire about your thoughts, feelings and behavior. PAI is another test you might be given. These are examples, rather than one test every applicant must take.
- A talk about surrogacy. You’ll discuss how treatment, pregnancy and giving birth for another family could affect you. That includes the people close to you, too.1
Test answers are read alongside your interview and history.6 You aren’t expected to learn the scoring system. Your answers help show your strengths, who helps you and what could make carrying hard.
When your visit ends, the professional may still need to score your tests and write the report.3 Ask when to expect an update before you leave. A later joint talk with the intended parents is a separate step.1
The full surrogacy screening process includes other checks, too. This evaluation is recommended before legal counseling and signing the surrogacy agreement.1
What personal questions will they ask me?
Expect questions about your past care, life at home and plans for the pregnancy. Some interview questions may feel more personal than you expected. Knowing why they are asked can make the talk easier to follow.
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) recommends these areas:
- Pregnancy and mental health. How did you feel during and after your pregnancies? Have you had counseling, taken medicine or needed hospital care? Your answers help explain past needs and the care you may need while carrying again.
- Your background and relationships. You may talk about childhood, close relationships, loss, abuse and substance use. This helps explain what you’ve been through, how you cope and what is happening now.
- Work, money and support. Who could help with your children or a hard week? Is anyone pressuring you to carry? The discussion includes whether you are choosing freely and how surrogacy fits into daily life.
- Why you want to carry. What do you hope for from the journey and the intended parents? Talking about contact and boundaries helps bring different expectations into the open.
- Hard decisions and birth. How do you feel about a failed transfer or pregnancy loss? What if the baby has a serious health problem? You’ll also discuss giving the baby to the parents after birth and your family’s feelings.1
For example, a question about work can lead to a talk about getting to visits. A question about money can help show whether carrying is your own choice. These are parts of understanding the demands on you, not just collecting private details.
The talk about pregnancy risks includes your right to make choices about your body and care.1 It may include your views on ending a pregnancy or handling a serious complication. You can be open about what you do and do not feel able to do.
If a question is unclear, ask for another way to say it. You can also ask why the information is needed7. If a topic feels hard to discuss, say so.
How can I prepare without rehearsing answers?
Bring a short, honest history of your care and the help you have at home. Useful preparation means remembering your own life, not guessing which answers will sound best.
A few notes can help:
- Counseling, diagnoses and medicines, with rough dates and why you needed help.
- How you felt during pregnancy and after birth, including times you struggled.
- Current stress, work demands and who can help at home.
- Questions you want to ask before the visit ends.
If you can’t remember a date or diagnosis, say that. Explain what you do remember instead of filling in the gap. You might remember why you started counseling and when it ended, but not the exact month.
Skip online practice tests. Trying to shape your answers can make them inconsistent and give a misleading picture.6 Follow the test’s own instructions. If a word is unclear, ask before you guess.7
Past counseling alone does not settle whether you can be accepted. Some mental health histories can rule you out. The mental health requirements for surrogates explain those differences.1
ASRM lists current use of psychiatric medicine as a reason to decline a surrogate. See prescription medication and surrogacy for that distinction.1 Keep following your prescription and discuss any change with your own doctor.8
An honest account can include both the time you needed help and how life has been since.
When Tanya applied to become a surrogate, there was one part of the process she was more nervous about than the medical appointments: the psychological screening.
A few years earlier, after the birth of her second child, Tanya had gone to counseling for anxiety. The treatment helped, and she had been stable for several years. But she worried that mentioning therapy would make her look “unfit” to become a surrogate.
She was worried about saying the wrong thing. The interview gave her a chance to explain what had happened and what her life looked like now.
Does my husband or support person need to join?
Yes, your partner or main support person should take part in the talks about surrogacy. If you’re single, a family member or another main source of support can take that role.1
Your support person needs to understand how the journey could affect home life. They may be asked about the help they can give and their own concerns. For example, who would pick up your children if a visit ran late? Who could help at home if you needed more rest?1
Taking part may mean joining the interview rather than doing every test alongside you. Some appointment formats require a partner for the talking portion only.2 Check which part your support person needs to attend before either of you arranges time off.
If you’re married, your husband’s wider role in surrogacy includes other checks and signatures, too.
What if I need another visit or am told no?
Being asked for more details is different from being told you cannot go ahead. If more is needed, ask what is still unclear and what would help answer it. You may need to explain part of your history more fully or clear up information already given.
If the answer is no, ask for a reason you can understand. Is the concern about a past condition, something happening now or the demands of carrying? If you’re told to wait, ask what would need to happen before another review. There may also be a firm reason the process cannot continue.1 You don’t have to turn that answer into a judgment about your worth as a mother.
How results are explained depends on the service. A separate feedback visit is not included in every surrogate evaluation3, so ask how you’ll get an explanation. That arrangement should be clear from the start.9
Pause if anyone offers a guaranteed pass or asks you to hide past treatment. Ask for an explanation before you continue.
If you continue into a journey with LittleBee, we offer voluntary peer groups that are confidential and not recorded. We can also refer you to a qualified mental health professional when needed. That support is part of the journey, separate from the application evaluation.
Who will see my answers and the report?
A written report may be sent to your fertility clinic or surrogacy agency.4 Ask the mental health professional or us who will receive yours and how it will be used. A private conversation does not mean every detail stays between you and the person asking questions.
Before agreeing, understand who they are working for, what will be shared and the limits of privacy. For example, will someone get a full report, a summary or just a recommendation? The purpose and sharing arrangements should be explained at the start.9
If you want a copy or spot a wrong fact, ask the professional how to request it. Sharing relevant medical information with intended parents does not, by itself, mean they get your whole psychological report.1
When you’re ready to start, use the LittleBee surrogate application to share your first details. For questions about other stages, browse the surrogacy process articles.
About this guide: I’m Vivi, a Client Manager at LittleBee Surrogacy. I handle initial surrogate applications. This guide draws on professional guidance and Tanya’s story. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.
References
- Recommendations for practices using gestational carriers: a committee opinion (2022) — asrm.org, 2022
- Evaluation — brittadinsmore.com, accessed 2026-10-15
- Psychological Testing & Evaluation — cognitive-assessment.com, accessed 2026-10-15
- Gestational Carrier Assessment — fertilitypsychologist.com, accessed 2026-10-15
- Guidance on qualifications for fertility counselors: a committee opinion (2021) — asrm.org, 2021
- Understanding psychological testing and assessment — apa.org, 2022-08-18
- Rights and responsibilities of test takers: Guidelines and expectations — apa.org, 2020-12-14
- Medicine and Pregnancy: An Overview — cdc.gov, 2024-05-15
- Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct — apa.org, 2017-01-01