A match disruption occurs when a surrogate and intended parents decide to end their partnership before the surrogacy process is complete.

While thorough pre-screening and careful matching prevent many potential problems, unexpected circumstances can still cause a match to fail.

Understanding why disruptions happen and how to communicate expectations clearly can help you protect your relationship, while the right agency program can protect your family financially if you need to rematch.

Why a Surrogacy Match Disrupts

There is no “one” reason why a surrogacy match disrupts. Life is unpredictable, so the reasons behind a match falling apart are unpredictable, too.

Professional screening and a mutual matching process will catch the majority of compatibility issues upfront, but in our agency’s experience, a few major reasons can still cause intended parents and gestational carriers to go their separate ways.

Differences in Opinion

There are many sensitive decisions to make during a pregnancy. Everyone has a right to their own opinion about topics such as communication styles, selective reduction and pregnancy termination.

Intended parents and surrogates need to be completely aligned on these important expectations before agreeing to work together. If one party was not fully honest about their thoughts, or if they change their mind later in the process, the partnership cannot move forward safely.

This is exactly why American Surrogacy’s mutual matching process addresses these difficult topics immediately, ensuring you only match with someone who shares your views.

Unexpected Life Changes

It is possible that both a surrogate and her intended parents are completely in agreement, but something unexpected throws the process off. Serious relationship issues, medical changes, job loss or a sudden divorce can stop the process in its tracks.

These situations are no one’s fault but, if it’s too emotionally stressful to move forward, partners may choose to end a surrogacy match in the best interest of all involved.

How to Reduce the Risk of a Failed Surrogacy Match

While professional screening handles the heavy lifting of finding a qualified partner, both sides have to actively protect the relationship after a match is made.

You can strengthen your match and reduce the risk of an avoidable disruption by committing to transparency from day one.

• Be honest about your needs and opinions: True compatibility is the foundation of a successful partnership. Don’t try to convince yourself you want something different to try to impress a surrogate or intended parent or speed up your matching process. Whatever your personal goals, you will eventually find someone who shares them, but your specialist can only help you find that person if you are honest.
• Communicate throughout the surrogacy process: As you learn more about the process and actually experience the medical steps, your opinions on certain aspects may shift. You need to share those changes in opinion with your specialist and your surrogacy partner. Expressing concerns early allows you to work through small issues before they become major roadblocks.
• Keep your surrogacy specialist informed: Your specialist is there to support you through the natural stress of this process. By letting them know right away if a detail feels off or communication slows down, they can help mediate a conversation and keep the relationship on track.

What Happens if Your Surrogacy Match Falls Through?

If a match disrupts before medical clearance is complete or before a contract is signed, the next step is typically to process the change and begin looking for a new match. However, a failed surrogacy match carries both an emotional and a financial cost for intended parents.

Every time you have to rematch, you need to know exactly what costs you will have to pay again. A disruption does not automatically mean anyone did something wrong, but it can quickly drain your family-building budget if you are not protected.

This is why American Surrogacy offers the Limited Risk Program. If a match disrupts for a qualifying reason, this program includes unlimited rematching without another agency matching fee, alongside protections for agency, medical and most legal costs.

You deserve to move forward with a partner who shares your goals and an agency that protects your budget. Call 1-800-875-BABY(2229) to learn more about how our screening, matching and financial protections can give you a safer path to parenthood.