Surrogacy is the process of making an arrangement where a woman, known as the surrogate mother, agrees to carry the child and give birth to them on behalf of an intended parent with legal agreements. Fertilization in surrogacy requires a process called In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). This process involves a laboratory test where a mother’s egg and a father’s sperm are fertilized, resulting in embryos that are then transferred to the mother’s uterus.
The decision to pursue surrogacy can be complex as well as emotional. If you are planning to undergo surrogacy, it is advisable to schedule an appointment at fertility san diego to explore your options and to receive safe and ethical surrogacy care.
Methods of fertilization in surrogacy
There are two types of surrogacy:
- Traditional surrogacy
In this surrogacy, the surrogate mother’s eggs are used, and the father’s sperm is artificially implanted into the surrogate mother’s uterus to conceive a baby. Therefore, a surrogate mother is genetically related to a baby.
Process of fertilization in traditional surrogacy
- A surrogate mother’s eggs are used for fertilization.
- For implantation, an intended father’s sperm or donor’s sperm are used.
- An implantation process is directly introduced to the surrogate’s reproductive system artificially.
- A surrogate will go through some medication to prepare her uterus for pregnancy.
- Gestational surrogacy
Unlike traditional surrogacy, a baby is only related to the surrogate mother until birth. Both the mother’s egg and the father’s sperm are fertilized in laboratory tests, resulting in an embryo which is then transferred into the surrogate uterus.
Process of fertilization in gestational surrogacy
- The intended father or donor’s sperm is provided as a sample.
- The intended mother or egg donor will go through some medical checkups to check whether their ovaries are healthy enough to produce multiple mature eggs.
- The eggs and sperm are further fused in the laboratory for fertilization.
- The embryo is monitored for a few days to evaluate health and further transferred to the surrogate’s uterus.
Gestational surrogacy is more common and preferred over traditional surrogacy, although it depends from region to region. However, based on the legal deals and agreements between the intended parents and surrogate mothers, it depends on which type of method they want to perform.
Pros and cons of becoming a surrogate mother
Pros
- Surrogacy can be a rewarding gift to those families who are hopeless about having a child.
- Surrogacy can give financial benefits by involving your time and efforts.
- You can experience your personal growth as it sometimes becomes a challenging process.
Cons
- It might also raise health risks if you have gone through multiple surrogacy processes.
- Your daily schedule and habits may be interrupted.
- It may also lead to social challenges.
