Missing pregnancy or delivery records do not automatically prevent you from becoming a surrogate. Fertility clinics request these records to better understand your pregnancy history and evaluate potential medical risks, but screening requirements vary from one clinic to another.

If you’re unsure whether your records will affect your eligibility, fill out our contact form, and our surrogacy specialists can help you understand what documentation your fertility clinic may require and what your next steps could look like.

Why Pregnancy and Delivery Records Matter

Fertility clinics request pregnancy and delivery records to evaluate your overall pregnancy history, confirm a track record of healthy births, and minimize potential medical risks during a surrogacy pregnancy. Reproductive endocrinologists rely on these records to verify that your body can safely carry a pregnancy to term without unmanaged complications.

When reviewing your medical history, fertility clinics specifically look for:

• Prenatal Care Notes: Documentation showing consistent prenatal care, healthy blood pressure, normal glucose screenings, and proper fetal development.
• Labor and Delivery Summaries: Details regarding gestational age at delivery, delivery method (vaginal or C-section), estimated blood loss, and any intrapartum complications.
• Postpartum Records: Notes confirming a healthy recovery following delivery without significant hemorrhaging, infection, or severe postpartum complications.

Documentation requirements differ from one fertility clinic to another. Some clinics maintain stricter record policies, while others take a more comprehensive look at your overall pregnancy history and current health when determining whether you qualify to become a surrogate.

Missing Medical Records Don’t Always Mean the Journey Is Over

Missing medical records do not automatically disqualify you from becoming a surrogate. Whether you can continue the screening process depends on which records are missing, how long ago your pregnancies occurred, and the documentation requirements of your fertility clinic.

Whether missing records affect your eligibility often comes down to a few key factors:

• Which Records Are Missing: Missing documentation from a single routine prenatal visit is generally less significant than missing complete labor and delivery records from a previous pregnancy.
• Age of the Pregnancy: Fertility clinics understand that records from a birth eight to ten years ago can be much more difficult to obtain than records from a recent pregnancy.
• Clinic Requirements: Every fertility clinic has its own screening standards. Some maintain stricter documentation requirements, while others may accept secondary records, physician summaries, or other supporting documentation when complete records are unavailable.

Understanding these factors can help set realistic expectations for the screening process. If additional documentation is needed or a clinic accepts alternative records, it may affect how long it takes to receive medical clearance for surrogacy.

What to Do if You Can’t Find Your Medical Records

If you can’t locate your pregnancy or delivery records, don’t panic. Many records can still be recovered, even years after delivery. Start by contacting the providers involved in your care and asking whether your records were archived, transferred, or retained elsewhere. Taking the following steps can help you locate the documentation you need:

• Step 1: Contact Your OB/GYN Office: Reach out to the medical records or Health Information Management (HIM) department of the practice that provided your prenatal care. You may need to complete and sign a medical records release form before records can be sent to you or your surrogacy agency.
• Step 2: Contact the Hospital Where You Delivered: Hospitals often maintain their own labor and delivery records, discharge summaries, and other documentation separate from your OB/GYN’s office. Even if your provider has closed or no longer has your records, the hospital may still have copies.
• Step 3: Check Your Patient Portal: Log in to your hospital or health system’s online portal, such as MyChart, to see whether prenatal records, lab results, discharge summaries, or other documents are available electronically.
• Step 4: Ask Whether Records Were Archived: If the office tells you your records are unavailable, ask whether they were transferred to an off-site storage facility or a third-party medical records company. Older records are often archived rather than permanently deleted.
• Step 5: Request Written Documentation if Records Were Destroyed: If your records were destroyed in accordance with the provider’s retention policy, ask for written confirmation. Some fertility clinics may accept documentation verifying that the records are no longer available when reviewing your medical history.

When Older Medical Records No Longer Exist

Older pregnancy and delivery records are not always available. While healthcare providers are required to retain medical records for a certain period of time, retention requirements vary by state, and providers are generally not required to keep records indefinitely.

As a result, records from pregnancies that occurred many years ago may have been archived or lawfully destroyed under a provider’s record retention policy. If your records are no longer available, you may still be able to provide other documentation that helps verify your pregnancy history, such as:

• Written Confirmation That Records Are Unavailable: Ask your former healthcare provider or hospital for a letter stating that your records are no longer available due to the facility’s record retention policy. Some fertility clinics may accept this documentation when reviewing your medical history.
• Pediatric Medical Records: If your child’s pediatrician has records dating back to birth, they may include details such as gestational age, birth weight, Apgar scores, or other information that helps confirm the outcome of your pregnancy.
• Physician Summary Letter: If your former OB/GYN or another provider familiar with your pregnancy is still practicing, they may be able to write a summary letter describing your prenatal care, delivery, and any significant pregnancy complications or confirming that none occurred.

Talk to an Agency if Your Records Are Missing

Ultimately, the documentation a fertility clinic will accept varies by provider. If complete pregnancy records are unavailable, your surrogacy specialist can help you determine what alternative documentation may be acceptable and guide you through the next steps.

Missing medical records do not automatically mean you cannot become a surrogate. Contact us today and learn how at American Surrogacy, we’ll help you understand what documentation your fertility clinic may require, explore alternative records when available, and guide you through every step of the screening process.

Independent surrogacy can offer more flexibility and a direct partnership with the intended parents. It can also reduce overall costs by eliminating agency fees, making it an appealing option for some gestational surrogates and intended parents.

What many first-time surrogates don’t realize is how many responsibilities an agency typically manages behind the scenes. Without that support, you may be responsible for negotiating compensation, coordinating professionals, navigating disagreements and keeping your journey on track from start to finish.

Fill out our online contact form to learn the differences between independent and agency-supported surrogacy so you can choose the path that best fits your goals and comfort level.

You’re Taking on More Than a Pregnancy

Carrying a pregnancy is only one part of being a gestational surrogate. Independent surrogacy often means taking on responsibilities that extend well beyond the pregnancy itself.

Without an agency coordinating the process, you may become the coordinator, educator, negotiator and problem-solver throughout your journey. Understanding these roles can help you decide whether an independent surrogacy journey aligns with your goals, experience and comfort level.

The following sections explore four responsibilities that many independent surrogates take on when navigating a journey without agency support.

Compensation Negotiation

Without an agency, you’ll likely discuss compensation, benefits and expectations directly with the intended parents. That includes topics like base compensation, reimbursements, milestone payments and what happens if unexpected medical situations arise.

These conversations can feel uncomfortable, especially if the intended parents are unfamiliar with standard surrogacy compensation or have different expectations. Having these discussions early can help everyone understand their responsibilities before moving forward.

Intended Parent Education

Many intended parents, especially those pursuing surrogacy for the first time, have questions about the medical, legal and financial steps involved in the journey. In an agency-supported program, professionals help answer those questions long before a match is made.

In an independent journey, you may become the person explaining timelines, insurance requirements, legal steps and what comes next. While these conversations can strengthen your relationship, they also add another responsibility to your role as a surrogate.

Journey Coordination

Independent surrogacy often requires you to help keep everyone connected throughout the journey. That can include communicating with fertility clinics, attorneys, escrow companies and the intended parents to make sure each step is completed on time.

You may also help coordinate appointments, track paperwork and follow up on outstanding tasks when there isn’t an agency serving as the central point of contact. Staying organized becomes an ongoing part of the journey.

Conflict Mediation

Even when everyone shares the same goal, disagreements can happen during a surrogacy journey. Questions about communication, expectations, compensation or birth plans may require thoughtful conversations before everyone feels comfortable moving forward.

Without a neutral third party, those discussions happen directly between you and the intended parents. While many families navigate these conversations successfully, resolving disagreements on your own can be more emotionally challenging than having an experienced agency representative facilitate the discussion.

Independent Surrogacy Isn’t Right for Everyone

Independent surrogacy can be a good fit for some gestational surrogates, but it isn’t the right choice for everyone. The best path often depends on your experience, comfort level and the type of support you want throughout your journey.

You may be more comfortable with an independent journey if you:

• Have completed a surrogacy journey before.
• Understand the medical, legal and financial steps involved.
• Feel confident coordinating professionals and managing logistics.
• Are carrying for a family member or close friend with whom you already have a strong, trusting relationship.

Agency-supported surrogacy may be a better fit if you:

• Are becoming a surrogate for the first time.
• Want guidance through every stage of the process.
• Prefer having professionals coordinate legal, medical and financial details.
• Value having a neutral third party to help answer questions and resolve disagreements.

If you’re becoming a surrogate for the first time, agency support can provide valuable protection throughout your journey. From coordinating legal and medical professionals to advocating for your interests and helping navigate challenges, an agency helps ensure you never have to manage the process on your own.

Want More Support Without Starting Over?

If you’ve already matched with intended parents independently, you don’t have to choose between keeping your match and receiving professional support. American Surrogacy’s Independent Program allows you to continue your journey with the intended parents you’ve chosen while gaining the guidance of an experienced agency.

Through our Independent Program, we can help with:

• Screening: Completing medical, psychological and background screenings for everyone involved.
• Escrow Management: Handling compensation and reimbursements through a secure, neutral third party.
• Journey Coordination: Coordinating communication between attorneys, fertility clinics and other professionals to help keep your journey on track.

Fill out our online contact form to learn how our Independent Program can support your match. We’ll help you navigate the rest of your surrogacy journey with experienced guidance while preserving the relationship you’ve already built.

It is completely normal to meet intended parents who seem wonderful on paper but still not feel the connection you’re looking for. Every surrogate has different priorities, communication styles and expectations, and those factors can influence whether a match feels right. Choosing not to move forward does not mean anyone has done something wrong. It simply means the match is not the right fit.

Surrogacy is a relationship that begins long before an embryo transfer and continues throughout the pregnancy. Building that relationship on trust, open communication and compatibility can help create a positive experience for everyone involved.

Fill out our online contact form to speak with a specialist who can help you understand the matching process and find intended parents you feel comfortable partnering with.

How the Surrogate Matching Process Works: 3 Simple Steps

At American Surrogacy, matching is a mutual process. We do not assign you to intended parents or expect you to move forward with a match that doesn’t feel right. You have an active role in choosing the family you feel most comfortable helping. The matching process generally includes these steps:

• Step 1: Review Intended Parent Profiles: Learn about pre-screened intended parents, their family, their values and what they hope to achieve through surrogacy.
• Step 2: Meet Potential Matches: When you and the intended parents express interest in one another, we’ll coordinate a match meeting so you can ask questions, get to know each other and see if the partnership feels like a good fit.
• Step 3: Choose Whether to Move Forward: After the match meeting, both you and the intended parents decide whether you would like to continue. We move forward only when everyone feels comfortable with the match.

Your surrogacy specialist will be there to guide you through each step, answer your questions and advocate for your best interests. If a match doesn’t feel right, we’ll continue working with you until we find one that does.

Can I Decline an Intended Parent Match?

Yes. You can absolutely decline an intended parent match at any point before signing your legal surrogacy contracts. Declining a potential match does not mean the intended parents did something wrong, or does it mean you have failed in your desire to help.

Surrogacy requires a high level of mutual trust, and if that core connection is missing, forcing a match can lead to unnecessary emotional stress later on. Your agency is there to support your autonomy, and a reputable professional will always respect your decision to wait for the right fit.

The goal of the matching process is to establish a secure foundation. Taking your time to find a family you genuinely feel good about helps ensure a safer, happier, and more fulfilling pregnancy for everyone involved.

Trust Your Gut – But Give Yourself Time

A profile is only an introduction to the intended parents. It can give you a sense of who they are, but it cannot capture every conversation, personality trait or shared value. For some surrogates, a match meeting creates the connection they didn’t feel from the profile alone.

If you feel hesitant, take time to think about what’s causing those feelings. Talk through your questions with your surrogacy specialist and consider whether your concerns stem from the profile itself or simply from making a big decision. There is no need to rush.

If something still doesn’t feel right after you’ve had time to reflect, it is okay to decline the match. We will never pressure you to move forward, and we’ll continue working with you until you find intended parents you feel comfortable partnering with.

A Match Meeting Can Change Your Perspective

Meeting face-to-face or over a video call gives you the opportunity to ask questions, learn more about their expectations and decide how you feel about the potential partnership. Some surrogates leave the meeting feeling more confident, while others decide the match isn’t the right fit.

There is no pressure to say yes after the meeting. At American Surrogacy, we encourage you to take the time you need before making a decision. Our goal is to help you find intended parents you feel comfortable partnering with throughout your surrogacy experience.

Questions to Ask Intended Parents Before Saying Yes

Your match meeting is an opportunity to get to know the intended parents beyond what you read in their profile. Asking thoughtful questions can help you understand their expectations, communication style and vision for the journey, making it easier to decide whether the partnership feels right for you.

Here are a few topics you may want to discuss during your conversation:

• Communication: How often would you like to stay in touch throughout the pregnancy, and what is your preferred way to communicate?
• Pregnancy Expectations: What level of involvement would you like during the pregnancy, including medical appointments, milestones and the delivery?
• Decision-Making: How do you hope we’ll work together if unexpected medical decisions or changes arise during the pregnancy?
• After Delivery: What kind of contact or relationship do you hope to have after the baby is born?
• Getting to Know Each Other: What are you most looking forward to about working together, and what qualities are most important to you in this partnership?

There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. The goal is to understand whether your expectations and communication styles align.

If you leave the conversation feeling comfortable and supported, that’s a strong sign you’ve found a good match. If you still have concerns, it’s okay to continue exploring other opportunities until you find the partnership that feels right.

Why the Right Match Matters for Everyone

A well-matched surrogacy journey is more enjoyable, collaborative, and emotionally rewarding for both sides. When you share a strong foundation of compatibility, navigating the logistics of pregnancy becomes a shared celebration rather than a source of stress. Strong compatibility leads to:

• Clearer Communication: You will feel comfortable speaking honestly about your physical needs and emotional boundaries.
• Shared Expectations: Everyone is on the same page regarding appointments, birth plans, and post-birth contact.
• Greater Peace of Mind: Intended parents can relax knowing their baby is being carried by someone who genuinely cares for them, and you can carry with the pride of knowing you are fulfilling a family’s deepest dream.

At American Surrogacy, our mutual matching philosophy is designed to protect this relationship. We believe that when surrogates are empowered to choose, the entire journey becomes safer, more beautiful, and ultimately more successful.

Find the Right Intended Parents for You

Your surrogacy journey should be defined by choice, respect, and mutual excitement. If you are ready to learn more about how we protect your autonomy during the matching process, we are here to support you every step of the way.

Contact an American Surrogacy specialist today to learn more about our matching process, or start exploring waiting family profiles to find the connection that feels completely right for you.

You finally take the leap, submit your surrogacy application, and wait for the exciting green light. Then comes the phone call: the intended parents’ fertility clinic found a complication in your delivery history that you have zero memory of ever happening.

If your stomach just dropped into your shoes, take a deep breath. Discovering a medical record error during your pre-screening is frustrating, but it is not an automatic end to your journey. 

Knowing exactly how to correct medical record errors can help you clear up the confusion, advocate for your body, and get your application back on track. Our surrogacy specialists are here to answer your questions when you contact us.

Could a Medical Record Error Affect Your Surrogacy Eligibility?

When you apply to become a gestational carrier, the intended parents’ fertility clinic conducts an exhaustive review of your prenatal, labor, and delivery archives. 

Because reproductive endocrinologists operate under exceptionally strict safety mandates to protect both you and the future baby, any unexpected note in your file—like an incorrect blood pressure spike or a miscoded hemorrhage—will temporarily pause the screening process.

However, a pause is not a permanent rejection. Fertility doctors know that healthcare charting is done by busy, exhausted people who occasionally click the wrong drop-down menu in an electronic portal. 

Having inaccurate medical records won’t permanently ruin your surrogacy eligibility as long as you take proactive steps to set the record straight. Gaining your official medical clearance for surrogacy is entirely possible once the clinic is provided with the corrected clinical records.

Medical Record Errors That Cause Problems During Surrogacy Screening

When an IVF clinic evaluates what disqualifies you from surrogacy, they are searching for biological patterns that make future pregnancies unsafe. Unfortunately, innocent clerical mistakes can look identical to serious medical red flags.

Some of the most common administrative errors we see during screening include:

• Diagnostic Upcoding: Your obstetrician ordered an extra third-trimester ultrasound “just to be safe,” but the hospital billing department coded it as a severe complication so your insurance company would cover the scan.
• Missing Operative Reports: Your previous C-section went flawlessly, but the hospital records department only forwarded the general discharge summary rather than the detailed surgical dictation showing the safe, horizontal uterine incision you actually had.
• Merged Patient Files: If you have a relatively common name, a triage nurse in a massive hospital network may have accidentally attached another patient’s medication list, allergy, or surgical history to your digital chart.

What if You Were Never Told About a Diagnosis in Your Chart?

It is a uniquely alarming feeling to log into a patient portal and see an intimidating term like “pre-eclampsia” or “placental abruption” sitting on your chart when your actual delivery felt completely healthy. You might even start second-guessing your own memory.

If you were never told about a diagnosis, it’s rarely because your doctor was keeping a secret from you. Often, providers document “ruled-out” conditions or hyper-cautious observations that never warranted a serious bedside conversation. 

If you spot one of these ghost diagnoses and need to know how to correct medical record errors before the fertility physician reviews your file, reach out to your OB/GYN’s office immediately. Ask their records supervisor for a line-by-line explanation, and request that your doctor write a brief addendum clarifying that the condition was ruled out.

Medical Record Amendments: Your Rights Under HIPAA

You don’t have to just sit back and accept inaccurate paperwork. Under federal law, patients have the absolute legal right to request an official amendment to their charts. The HIPAA Right to Amend dictates that you are a legal co-owner of your health data.

If an intake nurse accidentally checked “smoker” when you’ve never touched a cigarette, or documented a blood transfusion that never happened, you have federal backing to demand a fix. 

However, there is an important nuance: healthcare providers are not required to change a record if they genuinely believe the original note was accurate. HIPAA covers factual data corrections, but it doesn’t allow you to erase a doctor’s legitimate medical opinion just because it looks unfavorable on an application. 

If a hospital refuses to amend a subjective note, you still have the right to submit a permanent “Statement of Disagreement” to be attached to that specific visit.

How to Request a Correction or Amendment to Your Medical Records

If you’re ready to clear your chart and want to know how to correct medical record errors efficiently, casual phone calls to the front desk usually lead to dead ends. 

You need to follow a formal, documented pathway recommended by healthcare authorities like HealthIT.gov.

1. Secure the Facility’s Official Amendment Form

Skip the general receptionist and call the hospital’s Release of Information (ROI) or HIPAA compliance desk directly. Request their internal “Request for Amendment of Health Records” document.

2. Pinpoint the Exact Sentence and Date

Do not be vague. Print out the disputed page, highlight the error, and explicitly list the date of service, the attending doctor’s name, and the exact sentence that is factually false.

3. Attach Unarguable Supporting Evidence

If you are correcting medical record errors regarding a false diagnosis, attach your clean follow-up lab work, normal ultrasound reports, or a formal letter from your primary care doctor refuting the mistake.

4. Submit via Tracked Delivery

Mail your completed packet via USPS Certified Mail (with a Return Receipt Requested) or hand-deliver it to the privacy office and ask for a date-stamped photocopy. 

The legal clock for the facility to respond doesn’t start ticking until delivery is officially captured.

How Long Does It Take to Update Medical Records?

By federal law, HIPAA gives healthcare providers 60 days to respond to a formal request for amending medical records. They are also permitted one 30-day extension if they provide you with a written explanation for the delay.

When you are excited to qualify for surrogacy, waiting up to 90 days for a clerical update can feel like agonizingly slow motion. Practically speaking, major hospital networks often resolve simple typos within two to three weeks. 

To keep your timeline moving, practice transparency: tell your surrogacy specialist the exact day the amendment was submitted. Often, an agency can keep you moving forward through other meaningful parts of the surrogate screening process—like background checks and team introductions—while you wait for the hospital’s archives to catch up.

When Correcting Medical Records May Not Change the Outcome

There is a heavy, necessary truth we have to share: correcting medical record errors fixes typos; it cannot rewrite physical medical history.

If an IVF physician reviews your file and sees a biologically accurate history of severe pre-eclampsia, early preterm delivery, or major vascular complications, amending the record to explain your personal feelings won’t change the outcome. 

A fertility doctor will always put your physical safety first. Gestational carrying places an immense, prolonged demand on the human body. 

If you discover that your medical history genuinely prevents you from gaining medical clearance for surrogacy, please know that it is not a rejection of your wonderful generosity. It is a strict medical boundary meant to protect your life and ensure you stay healthy for the family you already have at home.

Can a Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist Help Me Qualify for Surrogacy?

If your medical records reveal a “gray-area” issue—something that isn’t a simple clerical typo, but also shouldn’t be an automatic disqualification—you are not out of options. In these scenarios, commissioning an independent evaluation from a Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) specialist can completely shift the narrative.

An MFM specialist is a high-risk obstetrician. While a fertility doctor specializes in creating pregnancies, an MFM specializes in understanding how a human body handles pregnancy. If your chart flags a well-managed thyroid issue or a minor, isolated blood pressure blip during labor, an MFM can perform a deep-dive evaluation of your holistic health. 

If they determine your risk of recurrence is low, they can write an official letter of pre-conception clearance. When an IVF clinic sees a green light from a high-risk OB, it often provides the clinical confidence they need to approve your match.

American Surrogacy Can Help You Understand if You Qualify

Figuring out how to correct medical record errors while battling hospital bureaucracy is a heavy weight to carry by yourself. But when you embark on your journey with American Surrogacy, you don’t have to.

We believe that women who step up to be the missing piece to someone else becoming a parent deserve  support every step of the way. 

If you are anxious about an unfamiliar note in your history, our experienced intake specialists will sit down with you, review your surrogacy medical process history, and help you gather necessary documentation. We coordinate closely with top-tier fertility clinics across the country to ensure our candidates receive fair, individualized medical reviews.

Don’t let a confusing piece of paperwork stand between you and the amazing experience of surrogacy. Reach out to our team today to talk about your situation and take your first step toward changing a family’s life forever.