What Is Intended Parents in Surrogacy?
Intended parents (IPs) are the person or couple who commission a surrogacy arrangement and will become the legal parents of the child born through the process. They may or may not have a biological connection to the embryo.
Why Intended Parents Matters for Surrogates
Your entire journey is built around a relationship with the intended parents. The quality of that relationship — the communication, the respect, the shared values — significantly shapes your experience. A good match with the right IPs is one of the most important factors surrogates consistently report.
How Intended Parents Works in Surrogacy
Intended parents may be:
- A same-sex male couple using donor eggs and one partner's sperm
- A heterosexual couple where the intended mother cannot carry
- A single intended parent (male or female)
- A same-sex female couple where one partner provides eggs
International intended parents often specifically seek surrogates in California because of the state's strong legal framework.
Real-World Example
Surrogates commonly refer to their IPs simply as "my IPs" in online communities. The contact and relationship norms (how often you communicate, whether they attend appointments, how involved they are in the pregnancy) are established in the contract and through the matching process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are intended parents in surrogacy?
What do intended parents pay for in surrogacy?
How are surrogates matched with intended parents?
Source: SurroScore's proprietary database of surrogate-reported compensation data and agency compensation packages, collected from direct agency outreach, public filings, and verified surrogate reviews. Data current as of March 2026.