surrogacy interviews – SurrogateFirst https://surrogatefirst.com Helping families, one blessing at a time Wed, 23 Jul 2025 12:21:01 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.4 https://surrogatefirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/surrogatefirst_favicon_2_32x32.webp surrogacy interviews – SurrogateFirst https://surrogatefirst.com 32 32 Surrogacy Match Meetings: What to Expect, Tips & More! https://surrogatefirst.com/surroblog/surrogacy-match-meetings-what-to-expect-tips-more-2/ Mon, 03 Oct 2022 23:59:49 +0000 https://surrogatefirst.wpenginepowered.com/?p=735

If you're an intended parent seeking a surrogate, you may have preconceptions about the surrogacy match process.

A common one, for example, is that match meetings in surrogacy occur when you meet the surrogate face-to-face, or even virtually! In reality however, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Our very own surrogacy intake coordinator, Maxime Lebouteiller, dispels these surrogacy match myths and more in this week’s surrogacy webinar:

Topics:

  1. Questions to ask
  2. Questions that get asked
  3. Important items that need to be covered
  4. Surrogacy contracts that came out differently than what was agreed upon.
  5. Summary of surrogacy match meetings

 

Match meetings build the foundation not only for your relationship throughout your journey, but for legal contracts as well. Not in our agency, but we have seen broken matches that occur in the legal phase.

You want to make sure you are the right match, and we explore the ins and outs of how to achieve that!

Ready to start your beautiful family? Contact us with any questions!

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]]> NPR’s 1A Podcast’s Surrogacy Interview with Ashley Mareko https://surrogatefirst.com/podcast/nprs-1a-podcasts-surrogacy-interview-with-ashley-mareko-2/ Wed, 13 Jul 2022 02:02:14 +0000 https://surrogatefirst.wpenginepowered.com/?p=726

As we enter into the second half of 2022, we are happy to announce our first surrogacy interview with National Public Radio’s (NPR) 1A (First Amendment) Talk show.

How the Pandemic Reshaped Surrogacy

In a 1A podcast interview, SurrogateFirst’s Ashley Mareko joined an expert panel to explore how the COVID‑19 pandemic has reshaped the surrogacy landscape—affecting supply, costs, and health protocols.

NPR surrogacy interview with ashley mareko

The show is produced by WAMU 88.5 servicing the Washington DC metro.

In this long-ranging interview about the strain the pandemic is putting on the surrogacy industry, our very own Program Director, Ashley Mareko, was invited to speak about her experience as a fourth-time surrogate!

Ashley is joined by:

Dr. Deepika Garg, MD

OBGYN; professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at the Yale University School of Medicine

Melissa Brisman, Esq.

Reproductive lawyer and founder of Reproductive Possibilities.

Key Highlights from the NPR 1A Interview:

  • Surrogacy Trends: According to the CDC, gestational surrogates gave birth to over 18,400 babies in the U.S. between 1999 and 2013—highlighting steady growth in the use of surrogacy as a family-building option.
  • Pandemic-Induced Surrogacy Shortage: The New York Times reported a 60% drop in available surrogates during the COVID-19 pandemic. This caused longer wait times and significantly higher costs for intended parents.
  • Vaccine Hesitancy vs. Parental Requirements: Many potential surrogates were hesitant to get the COVID-19 vaccine, while intended parents increasingly required it—especially given research showing that vaccinated mothers pass protective antibodies to their babies in utero.
  • Increased Emotional and Legal Strain: Guests discussed the emotional toll on both surrogates and intended parents, as well as the legal uncertainties caused by travel restrictions and evolving public health policies.
  • Voices from the Field: The panel included SurrogateFirst’s Ashley Mareko, an OBGYN, and a reproductive lawyer—offering firsthand insight into how agencies and families adapted during a volatile time for surrogacy.

The interviewer additionally asks about the state of surrogacy from a legal standpoint, international surrogacy, and the high costs to hire a surrogate to start a family in the United States.

Listen to the full surrogacy interview here

Why SurrogateFirst?

At SurrogateFirst, we’re more than a matching agency—we’re your support system.

Surrogatefirst support team

Start your journey today:

AS A SURROGATE
AS INTENDED PARENT(S)

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