GESTATIONAL CARRIER SURROGACY PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION: This protocol complies with ASRM, APA and SEEDS guidelines and regulations in terms of content, scope, and methodology. The evaluation will include a requisite appointment, educational and informational handouts, a mental health status exam, clinical interview, psychological testing, an interview with the spouse / partner (if applicable), associated legal documents and releases, the evaluation report and clearance letter. Areas addressed within the evaluation include, but not limited to the GCS’s background, motivation to serve as a GCS, personal traits, history of altruism, family history, employment history, conflict resolution skills, spiritual / cultural reservations / lifestyle accommodations and restrictions (i.e. increased need to exercise, eat a vegan or organic diet, refrain from using harsh chemicals in the environment, restricting usage of hair dye, etc.), reproductive history, ability to appropriately self-sooth during pregnancy and detach emotionally from the surrogate child, reproductive future, reduction and termination, social and family support, partner evaluation, immediate and long term relationship with the IPs, disclosure to community, communication style (offering suggestions for positive communication and addressing various types of communication and ways to respond), how to work with IPs in a collaborative manner, assessment of stability / current life stressors and coping skills, position on medical procedures, possible emotions associated after the surrogate child’s birth, schedule flexibility, sexual/medical history, alcohol/ drug history, legal issues, financial stability, short term and long term impact on GCS’s family and future relationships, psychological history and emotional stability.
GAMETE (OOCYTE & SPERM )DONOR PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION: This protocol complies with ASRM, APA and SEEDS guidelines and regulations in terms of content, scope, and methodology. The evaluation will include a requisite appointment, educational and informational handouts, a mental health status exam, clinical interview, psychological testing, associated legal documents and releases, the evaluation report and clearance letter.
Areas addressed within the donor evaluation include, but not limited to the donor’s background, motivation to serve as a donor, Clarity in detaching from oocytes / sperm, personal and personality traits, history of altruism, in depth family history, in depth review of donor’s social and scholastic accomplishments from grade school through higher education, special talents such as in sports, music, art, math, reading, writing, language, important causes. Conflict resolution skills, spiritual / cultural reservations / lifestyle accommodations and restrictions (i.e. increased need to exercise, eat a vegan or organic diet, refrain from using harsh chemicals in the environment, restricting usage of hair dye, etc.), reproductive history, ability to appropriately detach emotionally from the donation, reproductive future, social and family support, partner evaluation (if applicable), immediate and long term relationship with the IPs (if open, semi-open or closed), review of long-term consequences of ‘matching’ (i.e. a donor conceived person finding their donor), how to navigate the future, disclosure to community, family, future children / partners, how to work with IPs in a collaborative manner (if an open arrangement), assessment of stability / current life stressors and coping skills, position on medical procedures, possible emotions associated before, during and after the donation, schedule flexibility, sexual/medical history, alcohol/ drug history, legal issues, financial stability, short term and long term impact on donor’s family and future relationships, psychological history and emotional stability.
INTENDED PARENT (IP) CONSULTATION: This meeting will comply with ASRM and SEEDS recommendations in terms of content, scope and methodology to include appointment services, educational and information handouts, a mental status exam, clinical interview with the parent(s) (if applicable, legal documents and releases, and the evaluation. Areas addressed within the consultation include, but not limited to the IPs relationship status (ability to cope with stress), emotional stability, coping skills assessment, history of infertility, grief assessment, various alternative options for family building, level of acceptance of moving forward with third party assistance, history of mental and physical health, medical agreements, level of risk tolerance in life and third party family building, level of anxiety / acceptance, level of trust, assessment of raising a non-genetically related child, history of interpersonal conflicts, how handle conflict, conflict resolution skills, communication style, education on effective communication, how to ask for emotional support, show support, disclosure to future children (short and long term issues – how to handle when a moment arises that catches you off-guard about pregnancy / child), disclosure to family, friends, assessment of social support, communication into the future with either gamete donor / surrogate, disclosure to the child in a psychologically and age appropriate manner, educational handouts (websites, books, support groups), special lifestyle expectations of gamete donor / surrogate, what to do with surplus of embryos, how to handle emotions after a birth and into the future (within self, family, surrogate, donor), needs assessment of self, how handle uncertainty / stress, thorough review of mental health history with a particular attention paid to how to support each partner or individual (if single).