What Is Surrogacy?
Surrogacy is the process where a woman carries and brings to term a child for another woman. The child is conceived using In-vitro Fertilization (IVF), a process in which the mother’s egg is combined with the father’s sperm outside the body, the resulting embryo is then transferred into the uterus of the woman who will carry the child, the Surrogate Mother.
This arrangement is sealed with a notarized contract between the Surrogate Mother and the Intended Parents.
Gestational Surrogacy can be a good option if:
- You have a medical condition that makes it dangerous for the woman to carry a child
- You can’t bring a child to term (e.g. repeated miscarriages)
- You or your partner are infertile
- You underwent fertilization treatments and they failed
- You want either you or your partner to be the biological parent of the child
Traditional Surrogacy
Traditional surrogacy uses the Surrogate Mother’s egg with the father or a donor’s sperm to conceive a child. The child is biologically related to the Surrogate Mother. This process is highly emotional and can get very complicated legally for the Intended Parents and the Surrogate Mother since the child is biologically hers. This is one reason why this method is not chosen by International Surrogacy Consulting (ISC).
Gestational Surrogacy
Gestational surrogacy is the process of using in-vitro (IVF) to combine the mother’s egg with the father’s sperm and implanting the resulting embryo into a Surrogate Mother to carry the child to term. Gestational surrogacy (also known as host or full surrogacy) was first achieved in April 1986. It takes place when an embryo created by in vitro fertilization (IVF) technology is implanted in a Surrogate Mother, sometimes called a gestational carrier. Gestational surrogacy has several forms, and in each form, the resulting child is genetically unrelated to the Surrogate Mother.
The Surrogate Mother is the birth mother while the woman who donated the egg is the biological mother. This process of giving birth allows infertile Couples to overcome the obstacles to become Parents. This is the method ISC Team can help you with, to create or enlarge your dream family.
The Surrogacy Arrangement is often supported by a legal document, whereby a woman (the Surrogate Mother) agrees to become pregnant and give birth to a Child for another person(s) who is/are or will become the Parent(s) of the Child.
People may seek a surrogacy arrangement when pregnancy is medically impossible, when pregnancy risks are too dangerous for the Intended Mother. Surrogacy is considered one of many assisted reproductive technologies.
In surrogacy arrangements, monetary compensation may or may not be involved. Receiving money for the arrangement is known as Commercial Surrogacy. The legality and cost of surrogacy varies widely between jurisdictions, sometimes resulting in problematic international or interstate surrogacy arrangements. Couples seeking a surrogacy arrangement in a country where it is banned sometimes travel to a jurisdiction that permits it. In some countries, surrogacy is only legal if money does not exchange hands. (See Surrogacy Laws by Country).
Where commercial surrogacy is legal, couples may use the help of a third-party agency to assist in the process of surrogacy by finding a surrogate and arranging a surrogacy contract with her. These agencies screen intended Surrogate Mothers’ psychological and physical tests to ensure the best chances of a healthy gestation and delivery. They also facilitate all legal matters concerning the Intended Parents and the Surrogate Mother.
Before embarking on this journey, ISC recommends that the Intended Parents verify their country’s laws regarding surrogacy to make sure it is legally accepted and the Child recognized.