In this deeply insightful episode of The Surrogacy Scoop, we sit down with Lisa Schuman, LCSW, a licensed clinical social worker and Founding Director of The Center for Family Building. As a renowned expert in family building psychology and third-party reproduction, Lisa has dedicated her career to helping intended parents, surrogates, and donors around the world navigate the complex emotional landscape of creating families through assisted reproduction. One of Lisa's areas of expertise is helping intended parents approach the surrogate selection process thoughtfully and strategically.

She discusses the importance of thorough research before beginning your surrogacy journey, including understanding different surrogacy agency models, evaluating what matters most to you in a surrogate relationship, and clarifying your values and expectations before entering the matching process. Lisa explains that successful matches go beyond surface-level compatibility and require alignment on communication styles, decision-making approaches, boundaries around the intended parent and surrogate relationship, and expectations for contact during and after pregnancy.