I believe that many people in the understanding of the matter of surrogacy, the beginning is ignorant, take the webmaster himself, is also through a variety of channels to query the surrogacy related information, a little bit of piecing together, and ultimately figure out the entire surrogacy process. Now look back, although the surrogacy process is relatively simple, just a few key points, but the whole process is too much detail, for the first contact with the people, or need to do their homework, today we will give you a detailed introduction to the details of the process of surrogacy.
- What is a surrogate mother;
- There are several types of surrogacy;
- The surrogacy process in detail.
What is a surrogate mother?
A surrogate mother is a woman who agrees to bear a child for another person or couple. There are several different types of surrogacy, the most common and legal being paid gestational surrogacy, in which a woman surrogates for a child who is not related to her for a fee. After the child is born, the prospective parents are the legal guardians.
Several types of surrogacy
In the United States, for example, all but four states recognize paid gestational surrogacy (Arizona, Louisiana, Michigan and Nebraska prohibit it)Commercial surrogacy(Contracts).
Common types of surrogacy:
Recommended Reading:What is traditional surrogacy vs. gestational surrogacy? What is the difference?
Gestational surrogacy
A gestational surrogate mother is a person who agrees to have an embryo implanted in her uterus, and the child is born to the commissioner, and since the surrogate does not provide the egg, she is not genetically related to the child.
Traditional surrogacy
In traditional surrogacy, the surrogate mother provides the eggs, which means she is the biological mother of the child. The surrogate mother uses sperm or fertilized eggs from the intended father or donor for fertilization. Potential legal entanglements can arise if the traditional surrogate mother changes her mind and decides to claim the child, which is why traditional surrogacy is not allowed in most places.
Commercial surrogacy
Commercial surrogacy, or paid surrogacy, means that the surrogate mother will be reimbursed for medical expenses in addition to other high surrogacy payments.
Altruistic Surrogacy
Altruistic surrogacy mostly occurs between close family members and friends and involves a woman who voluntarily carries a pregnancy to full term without requesting to receive any payment.
Surrogacy Agency Surrogacy
By using a surrogacy agency as a partner, for a hefty fee, the surrogacy agency matches potential surrogate mothers, contacts IVF clinics, coordinates legal documents for legal paternity, and assists the intended parents and surrogate mothers throughout the entire process, from conception to delivery, until the intended parents carry the baby away.
Independent Surrogacy
Expectant parents who decide not to use a surrogacy agency do everything themselves, a form that places extreme demands on the ability of the expectant parents to live abroad, including finding a surrogate mother and IVF clinic, a surrogacy attorney, and helping the surrogate throughout the entire pregnancy to successfully deliver the baby.
In contrast, more families prefer to choose a professional surrogacy agency for commercial surrogacy, and would rather spend a little more for their own peace of mind when they can solve things with money. If you are planning to be an independent surrogate yourself, then make sure you find a trusted local friend who at least understands the industry, otherwise you will really find it hard to move an inch.
The Surrogacy Process Explained
Surrogacy is a very important matter for any family, and requires both spouses to come to an agreement, including the laws, ethics and morals that may be involved, to weigh the pros and cons, and to work together to face the problems that may arise from the surrogacy process. Once the decision is made for surrogacy, the high financial and emotional investment, is not inexpensive, and it is important to ensure that there are enough resources to support the successful completion of the surrogacy according to their actual situation.
1. Preparing for surrogacy
Once the decision is made to proceed with surrogacy, it is important to identify the surrogate mother and surrogacy needs (gender selection, twins, etc.), as well as the surrogacy agency you want to work with.
First, there are two types of surrogacy to consider:
Traditional surrogacy and gestational surrogacy, the difference between these two has been popularized for you in the previous paragraphs. It is more advisable to opt for gestational surrogacy, where the child is not biologically related to the surrogate mother. Embryos are produced through in vitro fertilization using eggs from the intended mother or donor and sperm from the intended father or donor.
Next, choose a surrogacy professional agency and attorney to assist in completing the surrogacy:
surrogacy agency
Any or all surrogacy services can be provided, including matching and screening surrogate mothers, surrogacy management, provider coordination, legal and more.
Surrogate Lawyer
In any surrogacy there must be legal support and various surrogacy legal documents that need to be drafted by a specialized lawyer.
For prospective parents, the following factors need to be considered at this stage of the surrogacy program:
- Type of surrogacy desired (gestational surrogacy or traditional surrogacy);
- Whether sperm or egg donation is required;
- Whether you will be working with a surrogacy agency throughout the surrogacy process, and if so, which surrogacy agency will be used;
- Requirements for surrogate mothers.
Once you have determined the type of surrogacy you wish to pursue and selected a surrogacy agency or attorney, the journey to find a surrogate mother can begin after you have been screened and approved by the surrogacy agency.
2. Finding a suitable surrogate mother
One of the most exciting and important steps in the surrogacy process is finding the right surrogate mother.
When a prospective surrogate mother or prospective parent begins working with a surrogacy agency, the surrogacy agency Depending on the surrogacy program, they may create a profile to show to other surrogate mothers who are looking for surrogacy opportunities.
Once the surrogacy agency has determined that there is a matching surrogate mother and intended parents, the surrogacy agency will provide them with each other's profiles to see if they are interested in matching.
If both parties are interested in moving forward, they can get to know each other better over the phone, via email, or in a face-to-face meeting, and then formalize the relationship by drafting a preliminary legal contract.
For prospective parents, during the surrogacy journey, the surrogacy agency may ask you to create a surrogacy plan that is half-sound about your goals and preferences for the surrogacy process.
Once a surrogate mother who wants to be matched is identified (or the surrogate mother identifies you), the surrogacy agency will arrange a meeting or phone call so you can get to know each other better.
Once you have determined that a matched surrogate mother is right for you, you can move on to the next step in the surrogacy process.
3. Meet local surrogacy law requirements
Once the surrogate mother and the intended parents have reached an agreement, both parties will need to draw up a legal contract to formalize it. Both parties will have their own attorneys to ensure that their legal interests are protected.
Most countries allow gestational surrogacy only and involve a much better legal framework. California is one of the most permissive states in the United States, where intended parents can obtain legal parenthood before the child is born. In the case of surrogacy in the United States, the surrogate mother and the intended parents live in different states, and the attorney should be familiar with the laws in both places.
Both parties will meet separately with their respective attorneys to review the legal contract for surrogacy. Once both agree to the terms of the contract and each attorney has had the opportunity to review and approve it, the contract will be signed and the embryo transfer process can begin.
For prospective parents, a surrogacy attorney will discuss your legal rights, possible risks, and the compensation you and your surrogate mother have agreed to. Once the contract is signed, it is time to move on to the next stage of fertilization and pregnancy.
After the first trimester, a lawyer will confirm that you are the legal parent of your child by writing your name on the birth certificate. This is called a pre-birth order and is an important step in declaring the child legally yours.
4. Commencement of the fertilization and embryo transfer process
Once the contract has been signed, it is time to start preparing for the medical procedure of embryo transfer. This process is handled by a mutually agreed upon IVF clinic.
The mother-to-be or egg donor will receive medication to help her eggs develop and undergo an egg retrieval procedure. The eggs are then fertilized in a laboratory to form embryos, which will be transferred to the surrogate mother, who will receive fertility treatments prior to the embryo transfer and during the pregnancy.
Once the pregnancy is confirmed to be healthy and the baby's heartbeat is heard, the surrogate mother will begin to receive basic pay and a monthly stipend. She will also begin to receive prenatal care, which will continue throughout the pregnancy.
In order to increase the chances of a successful embryo transfer, the doctor may prescribe fertility drugs to the surrogate mother before the transfer. At that time, the fertilized eggs of the prospective parents will be placed in the surrogate mother's uterus for implantation.
The procedure is relatively quick and painless, with no drugs or anesthesia required. After the procedure, the surrogate mother may need to stay at the fertility clinic for a few hours, after which she will need to rest for a few days.
After a few weeks, the surrogate mother will return to the fertility clinic for a pregnancy test and confirmation of the pregnancy. The surrogate mother will continue to visit the fertility clinic for regular blood tests and ultrasounds to follow the progress of the pregnancy. When the baby's heartbeat is heard on the ultrasound (usually about six weeks after a successful embryo transfer), the surrogate mom will begin receiving payments.
After a successful transplant, the surrogate mother's pregnancy will be no different from a normal pregnancy, and more frequent checkups will be required to ensure the health of the baby, depending on the requirements of the healthcare provider.
One of the most important steps for the prospective parents is that it needs to be determined whether or not an egg donor will be used. If it is their own eggs that are being used for surrogacy, then the mother-to-be will receive medication to stimulate egg production. When the time is right, the egg retrieval procedure will take place.
Once the eggs are retrieved, either from the mother-to-be or the egg donor, the eggs will be fertilized using the sperm of either the father-to-be or the donor. The embryos will be nurtured and evaluated for development before being transferred to the surrogate mother.
After the embryo transfer, the pregnancy will be confirmed. After hearing a healthy heartbeat a few months later, the surrogate mother will begin to be paid.
5. Welcoming new life!
After a long surrogacy process, the birth of a baby is a turning point in life for both the surrogate mother and the parents-to-be. In most cases, the expectant parents will go to the hospital with the surrogate mother for this most important moment in her life.
After the baby is born and the surrogate mother is discharged from the hospital, the prospective parents can legally take their new baby home, and the entire surrogacy process is successfully completed. The entire surrogacy process takes 15-18 months, and although the process is long, all the waiting is worth it. Here, the webmaster wishes all the prospective parents, all of them will be able to successfully carry back their babies!