Surrogacy is no doubt a complex issue and parents have several questions crossing in their minds. They would like to know how it works and where to begin. In case one considers adding to one’s family through surrogacy, one would definitely like to get specific issues clarified.
What is surrogacy?
Surrogacy happens to be a legal as well as social arrangement between intended parents and a surrogate mother, who does become pregnant through an embryo transfer and also carries the pregnancy for the intended parents. The intended parents do assume full parental rights, and the surrogate is compensated in exchange for her services.
What is the difference between traditional surrogacy and gestational surrogacy?
As far as traditional surrogacy is concerned the surrogate’s own eggs are fertilized of artificial insemination, thus making her the biological mother of the baby. In gestational surrogacy, the surrogate does become pregnant through in vitro fertilization and has no biological connection to the baby. Both forms of surrogacy do in fact have several advantages, disadvantages, and implications for intended parents to consider.
Who works with a surrogate mother?
Surrogacy is no doubt an increasingly common choice for parents who are looking to add to their families. The following people might consider working with a surrogate:
• People who have struggled with infertility
• Prospective single parents
• Same-sex couples
• Anyone who is rather unable to safely carry a pregnancy to term
Can I pursue surrogacy as a single parent or same-sex couple?
Yes. Surrogacy proves to be a viable choice for single parents and same-sex couples to add to their families. One needs to look for a surrogacy agency who is a single parent and LGBT-friendly and who can meet one’s needs throughout the process.
What are the chances of success with surrogacy?
Surrogacy success rates are influenced by the IVF clinic in Hyderabad one works with, the health and viability of the embryo one use and the health and fertility history of one’s surrogate. One’s fertility clinic can also help one determine one’s best chances of achieving a successful pregnancy in one’s specific circumstances. In addition, most surrogacy professionals will indeed perform multiple embryo transfers until a healthy pregnancy is achieved, making the overall surrogacy success rate very high.
Who are surrogates? How are surrogates screened?
Surrogates are women are of course of different backgrounds who want to help other prospective parents add to their respective families. While their situations can also vary significantly, all surrogates must meet certain requirements before indeed be matched with intended parents. Exact screening cum eligibility requirements are determined by the agency one works with. Some common requirements for surrogates include:
• Being within a specified age range
• Having a healthy BMI
• Abstain from smoking as well as drug use
• Have previously carried at least one healthy pregnancy with no major complications
• Receive no governmental assistance
• Being able to travel to and from appointments
• Have no felony convictions
• Submit medical and drug history information
• Complete background checks and an in-home assessment
• Complete a psychological evaluation and medical workup
How and why are intended parents screened?
Surrogate screening involves physical, psychological, legal and financial readiness for surrogacy.
How long does the surrogacy process take?
The length of the surrogacy process may vary based on the following factors:
- One’s professional’s advertising, matching and screening services and the number of surrogates that to be currently working with.
- One’s surrogacy plans, goals as well as preferences, which may simplify or prolong the matching process
- The number of cycles and embryo transfers does require to successfully achieve a pregnancy
- The legal services required in one’s specific circumstances
- And many more
- One needs to plan to wait for 1–2 years from the time one signs on with a surrogacy agency until one has a child.
How can I find a surrogate?
Intended parents can indeed find a prospective surrogate in two ways: through their own networking processes as well as advertising efforts, or go in for the assistance of an agency’s matching services. If one has not already identified a surrogate, a surrogacy agency can indeed help one find pre-screened surrogates who are indeed compatible with one’s surrogacy plans. These professionals often do provide expert matching services do indeed maintain detailed databases that pair intended parents with surrogates based on each party’s goals and preferences.
How do surrogacy agencies match intended parents with surrogates?
The matching process may indeed differ much depending on the surrogacy centres in hyderabad in professional one works with, but surrogacy matching services generally do include the development of one’s surrogacy plan and one’s intended parent profile.
Can I work with a surrogate I already know?
Yes. If one has a friend or family member who is willing to carry a surrogate pregnancy for oneself, one can pursue identified surrogacy. No doubt identified surrogacy can have some implications on one’s relationship with one’s surrogate, and one needs to consider working with an agency to get required support and contact mediation throughout the existing process.
Should I work with a surrogacy agency?
One needs to be sure if one wants to work with a surrogate agency or complete an independent surrogacy with the help of an attorney.
How much contact will one have with one’s surrogate? How involved will we be during the pregnancy?
The frequency and type of contact one have with one’s surrogate before, during and after the pregnancy will be addressed as part of one’s surrogacy plan. One can have as much or as little contact as both parties are comfortable with. Many surrogacy agencies, in fact, do offer contact mediation services for this purpose.
How does the medical surrogacy process work? Who handles the medical procedures?
The medical surrogacy process begins after legal contracts are agreed to and signed by both the intended parents as well as the surrogate. At that point, the surrogate may, in fact, begin taking fertility medications in order to prepare her body for pregnancy and also increase the chances of a successful embryo transfer. The intended mother or egg donor may also be then given medication in order to help her develop multiple eggs, which will be collected during an egg retrieval procedure.
The eggs are then fertilized in thus making use of the intended father’s or donor’s sperm. A predetermined number of embryos will indeed be transferred to the surrogate. A few weeks later, the pregnancy gets confirmed, and once a healthy heartbeat is heard on the ultrasound, the surrogate will then begin receiving compensation. The surrogate will continue to receive routine prenatal care and also attend to regular checkups throughout her pregnancy to ensure the health of the baby.
Medical procedures will be taken care of by an agreed-upon fertility clinic. The intended parents will, in fact, stay in contact with the surrogate throughout her pregnancy. Depending on the agreed upon amount of contact and involvement the intended parents would like to have, they may be able to attend key appointments with the surrogate.
How much does surrogacy cost?
Surrogacy costs vary depending upon the services offered.
The following costs are incurred :
• Agency fees
o Advertising services
o Matching services
o Counseling, education, and support
o Screening costs
o General case management and oversight
• Variable expenses
o Legal services
o Medical expenses
o Surrogate compensation and reimbursement
Will the surrogate be related to the baby? Will she have parental rights?
The relationship one’s surrogate has with one’s baby will depend on the type of surrogacy one pursues. In traditional surrogacy, the surrogate acts as the egg donor as well as the carrier, thus making her the biological mother of the baby. In gestational surrogacy, the embryo is rather created making use of the intended mother’s (or donor’s) egg and the intended father’s (or donor’s) sperm, and the surrogate has indeed no genetic relationship to the baby she carries. In such cases, the surrogate also referred to as a gestational carrier, does not have any parental rights to the child.
Will I be the biological parent of my child?
Surrogacy does often allow one or both intended parents to maintain a genetic connection to their child.
Whose name goes on the birth certificate?
Many surrogacy-friendly areas allow intended parents to file a pre-birth order, which instructs the hospital to rather enter the intended parents’ names on the original birth certificate.
In some states, same-sex couples will need to complete a second parent adoption in order for both parents to be listed on the birth certificate.
In traditional surrogacy, the surrogate is the biological mother of the child, and her name, in fact, will appear on the original birth certificate along with the intended father’s name. A stepparent adoption may be required for of course the other intended parent to be listed on the birth certificate.
Where is surrogacy legal? What are the legal requirements of surrogacy?
In some areas surrogacy is legal and in some places, it is prohibited.
What if the surrogate wants to keep the baby?
is pursuing traditional surrogacy, in which the surrogate is the biological mother of the child she carries, one’s surrogate will not have any parental rights to the baby. One’s attorney will work with oneself to establish one’s parental rights through a pre-birth order, if possible.
What are the first steps to become intended parents?
When one be ready to commit to the surrogacy process, one needs to start by determining one’s goals for one’s surrogacy. Once one has identified the surrogacy professional then the surrogacy specialist helps to navigate the process and thus achieve one’s surrogacy goals.
