It’s a method of assisted reproduction where intended parents work with a gestational surrogate who will carry and care for their baby (ies) until birth. Intended parents use surrogacy to start or grow their families when they can’t do so on their own. The surrogate pledges to abandon the child at birth, which is to be adopted by the parents who will become the legal parents.
The best way to determine if surrogacy after infertility is right for you is by talking to your infertility counselor and a surrogacy professional. They can give you a better idea of what to expect from the surrogacy process and whether you meet the requirements for intended parents pursuing surrogacy.
Now, let’s understand surrogacy in detail for a better understanding of the concept!
What Is The Meaning Of Surrogacy For Surrogate Mothers?
Becoming a surrogate is life-changing. Surrogate mothers are generous and selfless, passionate about family, and willing to help others. Many surrogates form life-long bonds with their intended parents and remain part of each others’ lives well after the baby is born. To be able to give someone the gift of parenthood is empowering. Women who apply to become surrogates are ready to be “all-in” emotionally, mentally, and physically for their intended parents.
What Does Surrogacy Mean For Intended Parents?
Becoming a parent through surrogacy is an emotional and rewarding path to parenthood. Intended parents put their trust into not only their gestational carrier but their agency as well. It can be a journey filled with ups and downs, however, the day your baby is born is hard to put into words.
Types Of Surrogacy
There are basically three different types of surrogacy
Altruistic Surrogacy
This is a non-commercial surrogacy, where the birth mother does not receive any payment. This is allowed in many countries. Some states allow reasonable reimbursement of the surrogate mother’s medical expenses.
Traditional Surrogacy
In this type of surrogacy, the surrogate mother provides her own egg, which is inseminated with the commissioning father’s sperm. Since the baby is biologically the surrogate mother’s own child, there may be future issues concerning the child’s future right to information about her identity. Traditional surrogacy is not usually offered in many clinics due to legal requirements, but it is possible for the surrogate mother to inseminate herself at home. It is also possible to practice traditional surrogacy through an overseas clinic.
Commercial Surrogacy
This type of surrogacy involves a birth mother receiving payment or material benefit.
However, The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill of 2019 aims to regulate this industry. It places a ban on commercial surrogacy and allows altruistic surrogacy for infertile Indian couples. To be eligible for altruistic surrogacy, the couple needs to have been married for at least 5 years and needs to obtain certificates verifying either partners’ infertility from new regulatory bodies.
Assisted Reproduction
Surrogacy might include assisted reproduction treatment (such as IVF), using:
- the surrogate mother’s own eggs
- a donor’s eggs
- intended mother’s eggs
- intended father’s sperm
- donor sperm
What Is Surrogacy Process?
Stage 1: Sourcing of embryos, using your own eggs or donated eggs. If you are able and plan to use your own eggs, you will need to undergo a cycle of IVF to produce embryos that can then be transferred to your chosen surrogate. Alternatively, if you already have frozen embryos, these can be implanted in the surrogate mum-to-be.
Our egg donation program covers the selection of the donor, counseling, compensation to the donor, IVF, and Embryo Transfer to the recipient. At Ekmi Fertility, you can also rest assured that the whole process is handled with utmost discretion and confidentiality.
Stage 2: Choosing the right surrogate. We hand-pick your surrogate after the requisite screening and prepare her for the embryo transfer. This stage of the program includes pre-screening of the surrogate, endometrial priming, legal charges for the advocate, embryo transfer, and testing for pregnancy.
Stage 3: Monitoring the pregnancy. If your surrogate tests positive for pregnancy, we will give you the good news immediately. She is given accommodation for the duration of the pregnancy, and we ensure that she is cared for and monitored regularly. This includes medication, scans, procedures to keep track of the baby, and a balanced, nutritious diet. Of course, we will also keep you updated so that you can share your baby’s key developments.
Stage 4: Your baby’s birth. When your baby decides that it is time to make its arrival, around the estimated due date ideally, we will proceed with childbirth, either through normal delivery or via cesarean section, as required.
Stage 5: Compensating your surrogate. The compensation fee is delivered to the surrogate mother after the birth of your child and the final signing of the contract agreement.
What Is The Surrogacy Cost In India?
You would be responsible for the costs of finding your surrogate, the procedures necessary to impregnate her, and her care for the duration of her pregnancy. Therefore, you would have to cover the following costs during the period of surrogacy:
Screening tests
IVF Process
Injections and other medication
Egg collection
Embryo transfer
Medication before, during, and after egg collection, embryo transfer, and during the entire pregnancy period
Blood tests and scans during the pregnancy
Personal toiletries
Medical consultations
Delivery of the baby
Post-delivery care
Insurance for the surrogate
The following costs are not included and will have separate charges:
Donor egg or sperm, if required
Hospital stay, medication, and care if the surrogate develops complications during pregnancy
Medication is given to improve the weight of the baby
Care of the baby after birth
Conclusion
While surrogacy may not always be simple or straightforward, more and more people are choosing this route.
It’s an involved process but certainly one worth investigating. If surrogacy seems like it might be a fit for your family, consider contacting an agency near you to go over the timeline, costs, and any other considerations that may be specific to your journey. There are many ways to become a parent and this is one of them.
At the Ekmi Fertility Centre, our surrogacy program has been carefully designed to ensure that the whole experience is as comfortable and joyful as possible. Ekmi Fertility is one of the best IVF and Surrogacy Centre in India. Our team works with you at every step, to help you fulfill your wish to become parents.
FAQs
Can A Baby Look Like The Surrogate Mother?
With gestational surrogacy, the surrogate is not genetically related to the embryo they carry, and so the baby will not look like them but will look like the intended parents.
Can A Woman Carry Another Woman’s Egg?
Surrogacy is a type of gestational-carrier arrangement in which a woman is inseminated with sperm to become pregnant for another person(s). A surrogate provides both the egg and carries the pregnancy; she has a genetic link to the fetus she might carry.
References
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01443610701194788?journalCode=ijog20
https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/lcp72&div=47&id=&page=
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0264683042000205981
https://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws/vol22/iss1/8/
https://journals.christuniversity.in//index.php/culj/article/view/2208
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