Types of Surrogacy Pregnancy

Surrogacy pregnancy can be broadly two types – Traditional Surrogacy and Gestational Surrogacy.

Traditional Surrogacy – In traditional surrogacy, the egg utilized for the process of fertilization belongs to the surrogate, making a biological link between the surrogate and the child.
Traditional surrogacy is considered to be more complex and controversial than the gestational surrogacy. This is because of the fact that there is a biological relationship between the surrogate and the child that often complicates the matter in case the validity of surrogacy or parental rights is challenged. As a result, in most of the places, traditional surrogacy is banned.

Gestational Surrogacy – In the case of gestational surrogacy, the eggs from the intended mother is used or from the egg donor is used to fertilize with the sperm of the intended father or that of a sperm donor.
The embryos made are then transferred to the surrogate who carries the child until birth. In this case, there is no biological relationship between the surrogate and the child. Some lesbian couples find the option of gestational surrogacy attractive because of the fact that in this case, one woman can contribute the egg and others can carry the child until birth.

Therefore, surrogacy might include ART (Assisted Reproductive Treatment) such as In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) or Intra-Uterine Insemination (IUI) using –

The donor’s egg
The surrogate mother own egg
Egg of intended mother
Sperm from a sperm donor
Sperm of the intended father

Apart from traditional and gestational surrogacy, surrogacy can also be classified on the basis of the payment the surrogate is receiving in two types – Commercial surrogacy and Altruistic surrogacy.

Commercial surrogacy – In commercial surrogacy is when the birth mother or the surrogate receives payment for carrying the baby for the intended parents. Intended parents pay the fees or compensation to the surrogate apart from the required expenses during the process of surrogacy. Such type of surrogacy is allowed in many countries like the USA, Russia, Georgia, and Ukraine.

Altruistic Surrogacy – In an altruistic surrogacy, it is important to ensure that intended parents only pay or reimburse the actual surrogacy pregnancy cost to the surrogate.

Hopeful parents are required to pay the basic expenses that have been incurred during the process of surrogacy. Some of these expenses include –

Legal fees,
Clothing bills
Life insurance premiums
Travel fees associated with the medical appointments
Parking fees associated with the medical appointments
Medical expenses not incurred
Any other expenses incurred during surrogacy.

In many countries, those who have banned commercial surrogacy has paved way for the altruistic surrogacy. Some of them include Canada, Australia, and the UK. In altruistic surrogacy advertising the surrogate parent or commissioning the parent is not allowed generally.

Terms used for understanding Surrogate Pregnancy Meaning?

Surrogate – The woman who agrees to carry the child for the intended parents is termed as a surrogate.

Intended parents – The parents for whom the surrogate is carrying the child and to whom the child is handed over after the birth are known as intended parents. They can be single, married couples, or same-sex couples, who wish to build their families through surrogacy.

Egg Donor – In case you are opting for gestational surrogacy, using the egg of the other person other than the intended mother. That person is known as the egg donor
Sperm donor – The person who donates the sperm in the absence of the sperm of the intended father is known as the sperm donor.

Since surrogacy is a life-changing process for everyone, it is important to consult the legal partner of the surrogate, if she has one.

Surrogacy agreements for surrogate mother process

Surrogacy agreements are the most common and vital agreement in the process of surrogacy. Both the surrogate and the intended parents are required to sign this agreement before beginning with the journey of surrogacy pregnancy.

Most of the countries laws also demand surrogacy agreements signed duly by both the surrogate (and her civil partner, if applicable) and the intended parents. The contract includes the responsibilities of both the surrogate and the intended parents.

Eligibility criteria for the surrogacy pregnancy process

Not everyone can enter into the surrogacy agreements. Some states don’t allow foreign nationals to be a part of the surrogate agreement in their own country like India.

Some countries don’t allow single parents or homosexuals to be a part of the agreement. Georgia and Ukraine are examples of such countries.

Surrogacy countries like the USA allow most of the surrogacy agreements based on the state were surrogate mothers live.

While in some countries the surrogacy procedure all together is banned.

Also, not everyone can be a surrogate to anyone. In some countries, the surrogate has to be a friend or a family member.  While some countries freely allow anyone to be a surrogate. However, they have certain restrictions like age limit, having a baby of her own, and sound medical and emotional ability.

In countries like the UK, the parentage order is required to transfer the custody of the child from a surrogate mother to the intended parents. This process of parentage order differs in each state. In parentage order, it is important to have the consent of the surrogate in some states while it is not in case of the other states.

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF FEMALE INFERTILITY?

1 out of 8 women experience infertility and for many Causes of Female Infertility is not known
Female Infertility is medically defined as a failure to conceive within one or more years of regular unprotected sexual intercourse or coitus. Although there is an age factor involved, in younger females having a chance of conception is sooner, maybe within 6 months. Causes of Female Infertility can be explained after through fertility analysis by an endocrinologist.

Female infertility definition can be described as not conceiving a baby even after one year of unprotected sex.  In some cases, female do conceive but have an early miscarriage, which has no apparent reason.  Female infertility Tests can be carried out by the infertility specialist to seek the reasons for such events.

Types of infertility

Conception and its changes can be attributed to the fertility potential of both the male and female partners. The male is responsible for 30-40% of cases of infertility while females are responsible for about 40-55%. Both are responsible for about 10% cases while the rest 10% is unexplained.

There are basically 3 types of infertility:

Female infertility
Male infertility
Unknown infertility
Cause of infertility in females and males:  In this article, we will cover the causes of infertility in females.

Conclusion for Causes of female infertility

This was a comprehensive list of causes of infertility in women. Some of the causes may be treated or bypassed to make the woman regain her fertility.

The best thing, however, is to consult a trained medical professional, preferably a gynecologist, to know more about female infertility treatments.

Your fertility expert can do a few tests in both male and female partners.  After consultation and going through the result of the test, your fertility expert can advise what types of infertility you have and adequate treatments for your specific case.

Women are encouraged to know the infertility symptoms and take medical help as soon as possible if they are in the higher age group.

Mostly infertility treatments with an egg donor or surrogacy process are time-consuming and costly treatments, so it is advised to seek the help of an infertility specialist as soon as you come to know about your condition.

Surrogacy Cons for Surrogate Mothers

On the other hand, there are some essential risks of surrogacy. It is required that surrogate mother know the challenges before committing to a surrogacy process. Surrogacy is not right for everyone, and that’s okay. What’s important is that you make sure it’s right for you before moving forward.

If you’re thinking about being a surrogate, you should consider how you feel about these potential problems of surrogacy:

1. The commitment of time and effort

When you choose to become a surrogate, you are committing yourself to a year or more of working with your surrogacy professional and the intended parents until a baby is born.

This will take a lot of your personal time and effort. Furthermore, it will likely affect your ability to complete your responsibilities as a mother and an employee.

For example, consider the fact that you will likely be required to take fertility medications for months before transfer. Need to attend frequent doctor’s appointments before and during your pregnancy and communicate with the intended parents. All prospective surrogates should consider how this commitment will affect their personal lives — and how they will manage these responsibilities — before starting.

2. Medical and psychological screenings can take a toll on your body

Surrogacy is an intimate process, and you should be prepared for a long and time consuming screening process. It is a necessary part of any fertility treatment to have loads of injections, blood tests, and scans. For natural pregnancy, the process of conceiving is pretty easy, but with IVF, lots of testing is needed frequently.

Before becoming surrogates, women should feel comfortable undergoing extensive screening. This extensive screening is designed to make the surrogacy process safe for her and to have an optimum success rate.

3. Emotional complications that come with a long medical and hormonal process.

One of the possible issues with surrogacy is the potential for emotional complications. It is not just because a woman is giving birth to a child she can’t keep. But, because her surrogacy journey affects her relationship with her family and friends, too.

While most surrogates do not feel much emotional connection with the baby they’re carrying. Still, it can be emotionally trying to undergo the challenging nine months of pregnancy for a baby that is not yours.

4. Surrogacy is physically demanding

Like natural pregnancy, surrogacy pregnancy can be tiring for the woman body. The physical discomfort and inconvenience for nine months are not easy at all.

During this time, gestational carriers are required not to involve in any risky or strenuous physical activity that could threaten the pregnancy. Besides this, surrogate needs to have regular appointments with the doctor for antenatal care.

5. Unseen complication during pregnancy or after the birth of a baby

Like any medical procedure, pregnancy and childbirth come with a certain amount of risk. The chances of complication are there in any pregnancy even, if it is natural or IVF pregnancy.

It is advised that surrogate mother discuss with her gynecologist about the potential risk she might expose to like loss of uterus or after birth complications in mother.

Conclusion for surrogacy pros and cons for surrogate mothers

It’s crucial that surrogate mothers know all details of the surrogacy process. The pros and cons of surrogacy should be evaluated and understood before committing to this life-changing journey.

Contacting a surrogacy professional can help to understand and make an informed decision.
Join surrogacy forums for surrogate mothers, where experienced surrogate share their journey along with possible risks.

Be part of Facebook surrogacy group where many ladies openly share information to new would-be surrogates

Do not take an impulsive decision.  Opting for surrogacy is a big commitment for all parties.
Get as much information as possible and make an informed decision.

If you’d like to learn more about IVF, Egg Donation, or surrogacy services globally, check out the rest of our website at IVF Conceptions. We offer legally secure and affordable surrogacy services to build families with love.

Our surrogacy consultancy is free of cost. We do not charge any fee. Our aim to discuss all your options, so that you can make an informed decision.

Compensated Surrogacy Allowed Countries

Ethical concerns regarding commercial surrogacy have led some countries to restrict or ban this type of surrogacy arrangement.

All forms of surrogacy are banned by countries like Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Bulgaria, and Portugal. In countries including Ireland, the UK, Belgium and Denmark, surrogacy is allowed in which the surrogate is not paid or just paid for reasonable expenses, such as medical expenses.

Commercial surrogacy is legal in some states of the US, namely, California, New Hampshire, Oregon, Washington D.C., Arkansas, Maryland, Illinois, Washington State, and New Jersey.

In Georgia, Ukraine, and Russia, commercial surrogacy is allowed.  Thus, making them a new hotbed for infertile couples who are ready to pay for foreign wombs to have their children gestated. In India, commercial surrogacy was allowed and legalized in 2002 but outlawed in 2015 for foreign couples. 

Commercial surrogacy is popular in USA The legality of Commercial Surrogacy in India
India had once been a “fertility tourism” hot spot for international intended parents who were unable to bear a child on their own.

Indian parliament passed new regulations on surrogacy in 2015.  The reputation of the country as ‘rent a womb’ came to an end, closing its doors on a $400 million per year industry.

The passing of this new regulation made it illegal for international intended parents to complete a surrogacy in the country. It only allowed intended Indian parents who are married to do a compensated surrogacy in India. As per the latest development, the new surrogacy bill 2019 is placed in Lok Sabha and yet to pass.  Once passed and become a law, it will be the end of commercial surrogacy in India at all.

However, this ban on foreign intended parents was only the start.  If the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2019 pending in parliament to pass, it will lead to:

Making commercial surrogacy illegal in India

Only altruistic surrogacy is allowed for infertile Indian couples

The intended parents must be married for five years and have a certificate from a doctor proving their infertility

Allows women to only be surrogates once and only if they are a close relative of the intended parents, married and have a biological child

It bans homosexuals, single parents and live-in couples from surrogacy

These changes are reflecting an end of commercial surrogacy in Asia.

Countries like Nepal, Cambodia, Mexico, and Thailand have also banned paid surrogacy.
The concept of commercial surrogacy should be to help families explore ways of having children with the help of modern science.  That is also another way of encouraging altruistic surrogacy as opposed to making the entire a process a business transaction.

However, some critics are calling the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2019 archaic as it does not allow single parents, gay couples, and unmarried couples to be able to extend their families through commercial surrogacy.

Conclusion

To sum up, commercial surrogacy can be an excellent way of making families for infertile couples, if it is done ethically and legally.

To make your surrogacy parenthood journey a hassle-free experience, it is good to follow a few tips like:

Intended parents concerned with the legal implications of commercial surrogacy must work with an experienced professional in a country, where there are secure surrogacy laws.

It is vital to make sure that the surrogate mother is treated relatively and rightly compensated for her womb service.

The incredible high commercial surrogacy cost should be made affordable.  That will make prospective intended parents not to fall for the trap of low-cost surrogacy in risky countries like Kenya, Ghana, or Laos, where surrogacy is not regulated. Such a destination can be lucrative but, most intended parents end of having a myriad of legal issues later.

Go for countries, where commercial surrogacy is legally allowed and secure. Countries like Ukraine, Georgia, and Russia offer cheapest surrogacy country but at the same time have explicit surrogacy legislation in place.

For gay couple’s surrogacy process is much more complicated than straight couples. They have fewer surrogacy options which offer safe and affordable surrogacy.  If you have a lot of money, you can opt for surrogacy in the USA, California.  The other best option is having a baby via Colombia surrogacy.  It is affordable, yet come with specific legal protection.

If you’d like to learn more about IVF, Egg Donation, or surrogacy services globally, check out the rest of our website at IVF Conceptions. We offer legally secure and affordable surrogacy services to build families with love.

How Does Altruistic Surrogacy Work?

The process of surrogacy is generally the same for both commercial and altruistic surrogacy.

However, intended parents in altruistic surrogacy arrangements work with surrogate mothers who they know. An incredible amount of selflessness is required in altruistic surrogacy.  The women who volunteer their gestational services are usually siblings of the intended parents or other close friends and family members. But it is not true all the time!

Since the surrogate and intended parents already have found their match, this surrogacy arrangement is sometimes referred to as Independent Surrogacy.

Most of the altruistic surrogacy process is independent surrogacy, but not always.  This is due to the reason that sometimes intended parents have financial limits, and it is much easier for them to find a surrogate within family/friend and then take care of full program themselves.  This mean, no involvement of a surrogacy agency is there.

What Is the Cost of Altruistic Surrogacy?

Altruistic surrogacy arrangements are usually less expensive when compared to commercial surrogacy.

This is because the intended parents do not have to compensate the surrogate mother. However, despite these savings, there are important professionals fees like a reproductive attorney and medical procedure involved in the process. Besides this, other expenses that might impact the overall surrogacy cost of a gestational carrier.

Below given are some of the fees and services that might apply to altruistic surrogacy.

Medical and pregnancy expenses, such as artificial insemination or embryo transfer, fertility injections and the costs of labor and delivery

If a sperm or egg donor is needed, you will have to bear the donation fees
Counseling expenses
Attorney fees
Agency fees, if surrogacy agency help is taken.

Additional expenses including clothing, wages loss fee, maternity and travel costs to take the surrogate to and from her appointments

The costs of surrogacy also vary depending on where you are living, the law of the state and the cost of living. For a deeper understanding of the costs of surrogacy, it is best to discuss it with a surrogacy professional.

Pros and Cons of An Altruistic Surrogacy Arrangement

Advantages:

When compared to commercial surrogacy, altruistic surrogacy arrangements are less expensive as the intended parents do not have to pay surrogate mother compensation.
Altruistic surrogacy is legal in many countries, but such countries are a handful.
Intended parents feel much greater peace of mind in altruistic surrogacy arrangements as they know the surrogate mother personally.

Disadvantages:

Altruistic surrogates are generally close family members or friends. Intended parents who do not want to pursue identified surrogates may find it very difficult to find a match through a surrogacy agency

Altruistic surrogates may feel exploited or underappreciated at times. They may even feel pressured to enter upon a surrogacy arrangement to help their friends or family members. Sometimes these situations can lead to hampering the relationship shared by the intended parents and the surrogate mother.

When the surrogacy is not compensated for, intended parents might feel that they are not in total control of the process.

Altruistic surrogacy is not much promoted and easily available.  There is a long waiting list up to 1-2 years for such surrogate mothers.

Conclusion:-

Altruistic surrogacy can be a rewarding and incredible experience for everyone involved.

For the intended parents, it is the most cost-effective way to achieve their parenthood dreams. For surrogate mother, it is not a financial burden as most of the medical, work loss, and the miscellaneous fee is paid by the intended parents.  Still, she has to put a great amount of effort in term of time and discomfort.

So, what type of surrogacy is best for you?  It can be only answered by the hopeful parents as they need to evaluate their unique condition.

Similarly, for surrogate mother — navigating through the long and physically demanding pregnancy is not easy.  She should not decide based on the moment of emotions.  She needs to make an informed decision.

SURROGACY PROS AND CONS THAT PARENTS SHOULD KNOW

Surrogacy pros and cons Knowing surrogacy pros and cons will help the wishful parents to make the right decision for them.

Children are the apple of their parent’s eyes. Children not only make you experience the parenthood but also helps you to feel complete. But what about parents who are childless? Who comes to their rescue?

Wait, do not worry. Gestational Surrogacy is the best option that can help numerous childless couples. Knowing gestational surrogacy pros and cons will help the wishful parents to make the right decision for them.

According to the data by Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) when a surrogate is pregnant, there are 95% chances of successful births in the USA.

Let’s discuss further Risks and Benefits of surrogacy for intended parents.

To know about the surrogacy pros and cons for surrogate mothers, read here.

Being aware will help parents to make the right decision based on their unique requirements. The reason why surrogacy is good or bad should be decided by the wishful intended parents.

PROS and CONS of Surrogacy

While surrogacy with egg donor has high rates of success in the USA and other parts of the world, but there are a few cons associated as well.  The intended parents should know both the pros and cons of surrogacy to make the best decision for themselves.

PROS of Surrogacy

Surrogacy Completes Family – Surrogacy completes the family for countless infertile couples. With the LGBT community getting a full-fledged citizenship status in different parts of the world, surrogacy is the best option for them to have their own children.  Sometimes, gestational surrogacy is only hope for a childless couple.

Creates Relationships – Surrogacy creates relationships and caters to those relationships with love and nurture. Many potential parents come to know about their surrogate and the family in detail. It can develop meaningful bonds that can last forever.

Involves Surprises – Surrogacy not only required a more in-depth connection but also, includes a few surprises. Transfer of the embryo and other processes are performed in front of intended parents so that parents feel involved and well connected with the surrogacy process. There is a legal contract that binds everyone and ensures that both parties can have legal rights. Intended parents can have their rights signed by the court before the birth of the child.

Ensures you are involved – Intended parents have the right to see the milestone events like the transfer of embryos and baby birth. The would-be parents can also accompany their surrogate for regular appointments and see and feel the growing baby.

Surrogacy is Successful – As already mentioned earlier about the high success rate of surrogacy. Also, according to SART, 75% of the surrogate conceives the child succeed in the USA.

CONS of Surrogacy

Complicated and Lengthy Process – Surrogacy is complicated as it involves legal procedures and abidance to surrogacy laws. Also, these legal processes might be overwhelming sometimes. It is critical to work with some renowned doctor to ensure the safety of the child and the surrogate.

Surrogacy is Expensive – The cost of surrogacy for the intended parents can be overwhelming most of the time. It is a costly medical procedure and requires compensation for the surrogate and egg donor.

The medical process of IVF Cycle is also costly. On top of that, the legal fee is an integral part of the surrogacy process.  But in case, you are looking for affordable yet trusted surrogacy option and are not able to afford high surrogacy cost in the USA.  It is possible to explore them in Eastern European surrogacy countries.

The main issues with surrogacy are incredible high surrogacy cost and ethical issues.
Hiring a gestational surrogate mother is very costly, at least in the USA.  Besides this, ethical and moral issues around surrogacy are a significant drawback.

Let you go out of control – In surrogacy, intended parents exercise the greater control over the surrogate mother as what she should eat and about her appointments.

But, intended parents should believe the surrogate for carrying out their child successfully.  It can make them feel out of touch sometimes, but still, they hope and pray for best.

Time consumption – One year is not less time for a person. Surrogacy process involves lots of time both in terms of procedure and gestation of surrogacy baby.

The full surrogacy process can take up to 2 years.  The research time, pre-procedure time, and antenatal care, and baby delivery can take more than you think!  Being prepared and plan well in advance can make the surrogacy journey a bit easy.

Emotionally Demanding – Surrogacy can be emotionally demanding for the surrogate mother to bear a child and let go of the child at the end of the contract. For intended parents, the journey ends with joy. Still, they feel connected to a surrogate.

Why Surrogacy is Good?

Here are a Few Benefits of Surrogacy

Help to start your own family – In the case of surrogacy, the childless couple has an option to start a family. In gestational surrogacy, parents can maintain a biological relationship with the child.
The child is legally yours – In surrogacy, the baby is legally belonging to the parent’s right from the start. This is the most important benefit to opt for surrogacy.  Surrogacy is secured by the legal documents which are signed by both intended parents and surrogate before starting the actual medical process.

Perfect for controlling parents – In the surrogacy process, parents have greater control over your surrogate. They can control her habits, her medical appointments, and many other things. During the surrogacy process, parents can develop a unique bond with the baby, even before birth.

The Odds are good – Around 98% of the couples pursuing gestational surrogacy have a baby in first 3 IVF attempts. These figures ensure the success rate, which is quite astounding. So, the chances of having a baby/babies are bright with surrogacy. This might be owing to good medical advancement and higher success rate of the IVF process.

On top of that, a fertility specialist can choose the egg donor (if needed) and the surrogate mother who is in great health and age to have the optimum success rate.

Peace of Mind – In surrogacy, the mind of intended parents is at peace. They have a secured legal contract which ensures that on the success of surrogacy, the baby is handover to them.
The commissioning parents’ rights are well protected if they choose surrogacy country which has explicit surrogacy legislation.

Still, many parents are unable to opt for surrogacy owing to higher surrogacy cost.  So, in our opinion higher surrogacy cost is the only factor which makes it inferior to adoption.

Conclusion

Intended parents need a great deal of time for research and to finalize what works better for them.

They can consider their unique requirement and priorities before opting Surrogacy vs Adoption.

But it is good to reach out to a surrogacy professional or adoption agency to have a deeper understanding and choose what works best for you.

Read more:

Surrogacy pros and cons for intended parents

Surrogacy pros and cons for surrogate mothers

If you’d like to learn more about IVF, Egg Donation or surrogacy services globally, check out the rest of our website at IVF Conceptions. We offer legally secure and affordable surrogacy services to build families with love.
Our surrogacy consultancy is free of cost.  We do not charge any fee for it and make sure you are well informed of all your options to make an informed decision.