About Surrogacy

While surrogate motherhood makes great fodder for chick-flick comedies, it is a very real part of our modern medical world. Couples who are suffering from infertility that makes it physically impossible for the woman to carry a baby may have no other option to have a child of their own than to let someone else carry the baby for them. If you are thinking about surrogacy, you need to know exactly what to expect while someone else is expecting your baby.

History

Surrogacy is a relatively new medical phenomenon. A woman carrying someone else's baby only became possible after the first successful extracorporeal fertilization procedure in 1978. It was not until 1986 that the first surrogate mother bore and birthed a baby that was genetically the child of another woman and her husband. Since that time, surrogate motherhood has been a highly controversial topic, and many countries and states in the United States have made the practice illegal. Still, for some infertile couples, surrogacy makes it possible for them to raise a child that is genetically their own in spite of their fertility problems.

Function

If you choose to have a child through a surrogate mother, you and your partner will have to go through in vitro fertilization. If a successful embryo is produced, it will be placed inside the surrogate mother's uterus. The mother will carry the baby to term, give birth to it, and then, ideally, sign parental rights over to you and your partner. You can choose to work independently or through a surrogate motherhood agency to locate and contract with a surrogate mother.

Benefits

The main positive to working with a surrogate mother to have a child is the fact that you will be able to be the parent of your own biological child, even if you have fertility problems. In most surrogacy situations, the biological parents of the child are involved with the pregnancy, attending prenatal visits and assisting at the birth. If you are a woman considering becoming a surrogate mother, you will benefit from producing a child for an infertile couple. Some women are compensated financially for their willingness to carry a baby.

Warning

Surrogacy is not a perfect solution to infertility. First, it is quite expensive. Having a baby through a surrogate mother and working with an agency will cost as much as $40,000. You will have to pay the medical and housing expenses for the mother, as well as any fees the agency charges and any necessary compensation to the mother. You also face a variety of legal complexities, including the fact that the birth mother may change her mind after birthing the baby. Because of the legal and emotional complexity of surrogate motherhood, many states have made the procedure illegal. If you live in a state that allows the procedure, you will need to work with a lawyer to make sure that you are legally protected if the birth mother should have complications or change her mind.

Considerations

If you have tried all other routes to deal with your infertility and cannot achieve a successful pregnancy, your only options for becoming a parent may be adoption or surrogacy. If you have a strong desire to have a child that is biologically yours, surrogacy may be your only option. Keep in mind that finding a willing carrier is going to be a challenge. The woman who will eventually bear your child for you is agreeing to put herself through an intense emotional and physical ordeal so that you can have a child, and this is not a decision to take lightly for you or her.

Resources

• Surrogate Motherhood
• Gestational Carriers