What is Surrogacy?

So, are you someone looking into knowing more about surrogacy and how it actually works? Then this article is actually for someone like you!

Surrogacy is in fact a method of assisted reproduction. The intended parents usually work with a gestational surrogate mother who actually will carry as well as care for their baby(ies) until the time of their birth. Surrogacy is a method where a woman agrees to carry the baby for somebody else. Once the child is born, the mother who gave birth will give custody as well as guardianship to the intended parents. Most of the time, the intended parents usually use surrogacy in order to start or grow their families. The procedure is done especially when the intended parent can’t do so on their own. 

How does surrogacy work?

Surrogacy involves the following process which requires medical as well as legal expertise. 

• Gestational surrogacy usually helps those mothers who actually are unable to bear a child. 
• Surrogacy works through the procedure of IVF where embryos are actually created in a lab especially at a fertility clinic. 
• Most of the time the intended parents actually use their own genetic material. The procedure usually requires an egg donor. 
• At the time of surrogacy, in the fertility clinic, one to two embryos are implanted to the  gestational carrier. A gestational mother is someone who carries the baby or babies to term. Gestational mothers or carriers usually have no relationship genetic wise to the children they bear and deliver.

Types of Surrogacy:

The two types or kinds of surrogacy are as follows:

• Traditional Surrogate:

Traditional surrogate is a type of surrogacy where a woman gets artificially inseminated. It is done with the father's sperm. The mother then bears and also delivers the baby for the parent to raise. A traditional surrogate is however the biological mother of the baby. It is because it was the egg of the other mother which was fertilized with the help of the father's sperm. In other cases, however, donor sperm can be used too.

• Gestational Surrogate:

Gestational surrogate is a kind of surrogacy which is called IVF (In Vitro Fertilization). It  makes it possible in order to gather mother’s eggs. By doing so, your doctor can fertilize them with sperm obtained from the father. The fertilized egg is then placed in the embryo mainly into the uterus of the gestational surrogate. The surrogate mother then bears the baby until the child is born. She usually doesn't have any ties in relation to genetics to the child since it was not her egg which was used. A gestational surrogate is actually called the "birth mother." However, the biological mother is still the mother whose egg was actually fertilized. 

Cost of surrogacy:

The average cost of surrogacy varies depending upon the places (countries). The cost of surrogacy in different places are as follows:

• In USA, the cost of surrogacy usually starts from USD 95,000 until USD 130,000
• In countries like Russia, Georgia and Ukraine, the cost starts from $32,000 to $55,000
• Gestational surrogacy costs in the United Kingdom (UK) can surpass £50,000 which is about 65,000 USD. The cost in the UK depends on the clinic as well as surrogate.
• The cost of surrogacy in India usually starts from 12 lakh to 15 lakh INR, which is very low when compared to other countries
• Surrogacy cost with a friend or if you have a family member, then the cost starts from USD 30,000 to USD 50,000 in the USA

Surrogacy Pros and Cons:

The pros of surrogacy are as follows:

• Surrogate can actually experience being pregnant once again
• It is a fulfilling experience, since nothing compares to bear and deliver the child for someone who is unable to bear the child themselves
• Surrogate mothers can actually be part of a strong support team or group
• Surrogate mothers receive a very generous compensation
• They are legally protected

The cons of surrogacy are as follows:

• Surrogacy procedure is both physically as well as emotionally demanding
• It is a lengthy process
• Being a surrogate mother has health related risks
• Continuous medication is required to become pregnant
• The entire procedure is still stigmatized

Surrogacy Treatment:

Surrogacy usually involves the following treatment procedures:

Prior to the Treatment:

• In order to start the surrogacy procedure, you have to find a surrogate. 
• To achieve pregnancy usually differs and depends basically on the type of surrogate you intend to use. 
• For gestational surrogacy, a surrogate mother is usually found prior to the treatment
• A legal contract will be created with both parent and the surrogate mother as well as reviewed.

During the Treatment:

• The surrogate mother goes through the IUI process by using the father’s intended sperm otherwise called as donor sperm.
• The surrogate mother then goes through the egg retrieval process, just in case if they're using the intended mother’s eggs or at times to obtain donor eggs. 
• Embryos are created by using intended father’s sperm, otherwise called donor sperm.
• It is then transferred to the gestational carrier or surrogate mother. If it stick, then pregnancy procedures can be followed
• If during the first try, it doesn’t work, the surrogate mother can pursue a different IVF cycle

Post-Treatment:

• When the child is born, the intended parents gets all the legal rights and can obtain full custody of the baby which is as mentioned in the legal contract
• The surrogate mother post birth will have to legally terminate the rights to the child

Top Surrogacy Agencies:

There are many agencies which offer surrogacy and one such agency is Anavara.  Anavara helps you by providing the very best Fertility Treatment overseas since we mostly connect our clients to the leading hospitals as well as health specialists abroad.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

What are the surrogacy laws in india?

In Indian surrogacy laws it is illegal for foreign parents to perform a complete surrogacy in India. Indian laws allow only infertile couples (altruistic surrogacy) for the needy.

How much does surrogacy cost in case if you have a surrogate?

The cost depends upon places however it is much lower compared to cases where you don’t have a surrogate.

What is the difference between adoption vs surrogacy?

The difference between surrogacy and adoption is actually the genetic linkage. In adoption, parents actually adopt a child who has no genetic linkage. On the other hand, surrogacy children will have genetic linkage.

What are surrogacy ethical issues?

Few of the surrogacy ethical issues include: the rights of the children and the exploitation of poor as well as low income women who are desperate for money.

What is surrogacy success rate?

The success rate of surrogacy usually is 95%