WHAT ARE INTENDED PARENTS? MEANING, DEFINITION & WHO THEY ARE IN SURROGACY

For LGBTQIA+ intended parents choosing surrogacy as a path to parenthood, the choice of using a donor in your family-building process carries emotional and practical considerations that will shape your family’s story. Explore the emotional, legal, and long-term considerations of choosing a known vs. anonymous donor for LGBTQIA+ families in this article. 

Surrogacy is a family-building process in which a surrogate carries and gives birth to a child for the intended parent(s). Discover 10 facts about surrogacy in 2026, including success rates, screening standards, and financial planning.

Choosing a surrogacy agency is one of the most important decisions you will make on your path to parenthood. Explore this agency interview checklist with questions to help you find the right fit for you and the family you are building.

Choosing the right surrogacy agency is one of the most important decisions you will make on your path to parenthood. Download our checklist and comparison worksheet designed to help you ask the right questions, evaluate key criteria, and document each agency’s responses side by side.

As an intended parent, you may feel left out on pre-birth bonding. However, there are some solutions. Find out more.

Thanks to medical advancements like sperm washing and viral load monitoring, surrogacy for HIV positive couples is now a safe, empowering path to parenthood.

For intended parents, feeding decisions after surrogacy involve considerations that standard postpartum resources rarely cover. This guide offers practical insight into infant feeding after surrogacy. Whether you are considering breastfeeding through induced lactation, working with your surrogate to provide breast milk, or planning to use formula, each path is valid. There is no single “right” choice.

It’s important during this phase of your process to establish the foundation of your relationship with your surrogate. Here’s what I hear from surrogates about what they are looking for.

At the heart of every surrogacy journey is a relationship built on trust, communication, mutual respect, and shared goals. While the process itself involves medical and legal procedures, the connection between you and your surrogate becomes the emotional foundation that carries the experience forward. Learn how to foster that connection from matching through post-birth.

Wondering whether your baby will share DNA with the surrogate? Learn how genetics work in surrogacy, including whose DNA the baby inherits and how factors like blood type are determined.

Surrogate births often occur far from where the baby will live, requiring a plane ride home, which can be stressful with a newborn. Read our travel tips here!

Explore each stage of the surrogacy process—consultation, matching, embryo transfer, legal steps, and delivery—in this clear step‑by‑step guide for intended parents.

For many LGBTQIA+ couples, finding an egg donor is one of the ways they are able to start a family and build their legacy. And if it feels like a very emotional decision, you’re not alone. See our guide for gay dads on choosing an egg donor, covering donor options, genetic considerations, emotional factors, and how to approach this first major surrogacy decision.

While having altruistic motives, surrogates at Growing Generations do receive compensation. We dispel the myth, however, that surrogacy commoditizes women.

Finding a gestational surrogate is the first step towards your parenthood journey. This involves identifying, screening, and matching with a gestational carrier who meets medical, legal, and personal criteria. Explore safe options, agency vs. independent paths, legal considerations, and expert guidance for intended parents.

There are resources out there for what to pack for delivery for surrogates & mothers, but what about intended parents?

International surrogacy laws vary significantly by country, and for intended parents building a family across borders, understanding those differences is one of the most important steps you can take. Growing Generations explains what families need to know about legal recognition, citizenship, and why the U.S. remains the most legally stable destination.

For intended parents, the legal side of surrogacy can feel like the most unfamiliar part of your surrogacy journey. Learn what a pre-birth order in surrogacy is, how it works, when it’s filed, and how it establishes legal parentage before birth. Understand state differences and what to expect as intended parents.

For many two-mom families, including lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, transgender, and non-binary individuals with female reproductive anatomy, the journey to parenthood can include the opportunity to share a meaningful role in bringing their child into the world. Learn how reciprocal IVF works for lesbian couples, including the medical process, emotional considerations, and what to expect when building a shared motherhood journey.

For many people exploring surrogacy as a path to parenthood, one of the very first questions is, “Do I qualify to become an intended parent?”, more specifically, “Is there an age limit for intended parents?” This guide answers your questions about age limits, emotional challenges, or legal considerations.

The choice to become a parent on your own reflects a clear vision about the family you want to build. Single-parent surrogacy is empowering, and more people are choosing to pursue the path to parenthood independently. Learn how single-parent surrogacy works, including costs, legal preparation, timelines, and emotional support for solo intended parents pursuing parenthood.

When you begin your surrogacy journey, you carry a hope for welcoming a baby with you. Alongside that joy and anticipation, there is also a real need for clarity and protection. That’s exactly where a surrogacy agreement comes in. Let’s walk through why it matters. 

Learn what surrogacy really costs, from agency fees to IVF, and how first-time intended parents can plan and budget with confidence.

Growing Generations is dedicated to helping LGBTQIA+ intended parents build their families through surrogacy Discover what you need to know to navigate the surrogacy process and how Growing Generations supports you through each step.

Gay and LGBTQIA+ intended parents often face unique hurdles and challenges during the family-building process. Discover how Growing Generations helps same-sex couples navigate the surrogacy process. 

The surrogacy process can seem daunting to a single intended parent. Discover what to expect from these unique challenges and learn some tips for preparing for single parent surrogacy.

Learn how surrogacy insurance works — what’s covered, what’s not, and how to protect your journey.

Beginning the surrogacy process is a significant step toward building your family. This guide offers an overview of what you can expect as an intended parent.

When you begin exploring surrogacy, it is natural to wonder how long the journey will take. Understanding the surrogacy timeline can help you feel more prepared as you begin planning your path to parenthood. Learn more in our article. 

Telling your boss that you are going to be a surrogate can be daunting. Learn how to reveal this news properly in the work place.

Growing Generations is proud to have a talented legal team that helps draft contracts between all parties. Learn more about the contracting phase today.

Let’s set the record straight. Find out the the truth behind 6 common surrogacy myths as you get started on your surrogacy journey.

The relationship between the intended parents & the surrogate will change after childbirth, & in different ways depending on the families involved. Learn more.

Starting a family doesn’t always follow the path we imagine, and for many people, that journey can come with questions, challenges, and hope all at once. Third-party reproduction offers another way to build your family when traditional conception isn’t possible or doesn’t match your circumstances. Learn more here. 

Navigate the crucial first meeting between surrogates and intended parents with confidence. Growing Generations shares insightful tips on preparation, communication etiquette, and setting expectations, ensuring a smooth start to your surrogacy journey.

Meeting a potential surrogate brings up a mix of emotions, and it is completely normal for you to feel this way. After all, this is a big step in your surrogacy journey. This guide is here to help you approach that first conversation with confidence. It’s designed to help you make a connection with your surrogate, not as legal or medical advice.

As you consider surrogacy to grow your family, understanding the pros and cons of gestational versus traditional surrogacy is vital. Discover what you need to know before making this important decision.

For gay dads pursuing surrogacy, deciding whose sperm to use is one of the first major decisions in their path to parenthood. Here we explore your options for shared cycles, the medical realities, emotional factors, and practical guidance for family building.

Completely understanding birth orders can prevent unnecessary issues for surrogates & IPs. Learn about them here.

Discover everything you need to know to start your journey as first-time intended parents, from how surrogacy works and what it costs to the legal steps and what to expect. 

Timing your arrival for the birth of your surrogate baby can be tricky, especially when you're traveling from over seas.

A stay in the NICU can be challenging both emotionally and logistically for new parents. It can be helpful to have a quick guide of what to expect and how to react. Get it here.

Learn whose eggs are used in surrogacy — from intended mothers to egg donors. Understand your options and the IVF process with Growing Generations.