Some couples with fertility challenges may lose hope when it comes to growing their family. But there are different ways in which they can still do so without having to trouble themselves with conceiving one of their own. One of which is through surrogate pregnancy. This article discusses this process to better help couples decide if this is the path to parenthood that’s right for them.
Understanding Surrogate Pregnancy
This type of pregnancy occurs when a woman carries and gives birth to a child for another person or couple who is incapable of having their own children.
The woman who carries the child inside her womb is called a surrogate. As a surrogate mother, she conceives through in vitro fertilization (IVF).
In a surrogate pregnancy, doctors or surrogacy specialists establish the embryo by fertilizing eggs externally from the intended parents. It can either be an egg donor with sperm from the father or a different sperm donor. But usually, the intended father is the one who provides the semen sample.
This legal and internal arrangement between them may also be referred to as a gestational carrier or gestational surrogate.
What Are the Reasons for Surrogate Pregnancy?
The most common reason why couples consider this type of pregnancy is their infertility. Other reasons for this includes one or more of the following factors:
- The intended mother is unable to carry a pregnancy due to a previous surgical procedure called hysterectomy. It results in missing part/s of her uterus.
- A missing uterus or uterine malformations from birth.
- Medical conditions may bring harm to the mother herself and to the conception and delivery of the baby.
- A repeated unexplained IVF implantation failure.
- Past pregnancy or other birth complications may put the mother or the child’s life at risk.
- Same-sex couples who wish to have a child of their own. Some couples use their own sperm for it.
- A single man who wants to have a child through the use of his own sperm. Or, when a woman dies with frozen embryos in a freezer, the male partner would want to use the embryos to have a child with her.
Who Can Possibly Be a Surrogate?
The ideal surrogate or gestational carrier should be a healthy woman in her prime years of giving birth (21-45). She should be able to hold the baby for 9 long months in her body to be able to deliver it well afterward.
It is also a good consideration that the surrogate mother also has a good support system and living situation to be able to handle the pregnancy. Moreover, she should not have more than five normal deliveries or two cesarean ones.
You can either find a surrogate mother that you know or you do not know. It is important to discuss these things with your partner before proceeding with anything involving the matter.
Do You Compensate Your Surrogate?
In general terms, the surrogate mother is often compensated for the time, effort, physical stress or difficulty, and even the emotional capacity to undergo the birthing process from start to finish.
However, there are those who do not expect anything in return. Thus, such concerns and conditions should be agreed upon before any treatment takes place.
Both parties should sign a binding contract to make things legal and valid.
Key Takeaways
Surrogate pregnancy is a great fertility option for couples who want to grow their family, but may have a difficult time conceiving. However, you should take everything about the process into consideration. It requires more than time, money, and effort from both parties. The persons involved in this agreement should have a strong emotional and financial capacity to go through this life-changing event in their lives.
Learn more about Pregnancy here.
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