A little bit on surrogacy

Many couples fail the attempt of having biological children. Surrogacy is not a new solution to this problem of not being able to reproduce an offspring. If we backshift to biblical times we will find that surrogacy already existed. However, the method used then was not artificial or assisted al it is nowadays.

A surrogacy arrangement is one in which one woman, from now on the surrogate mother, agrees to bear a child for a couple and surrender it at birth. This gives an opportunity to those who are unable to carry a child themselves.

There are two types of surrogacy, the traditional and the gestational. The first one involves the surrogate mother being artificially inseminated with the sperm of the intended father or sperm from a donor in case the sperm count is low. In this case, the surrogate becomes genetically attached to the baby. Therefore, once the baby is born, the wife or intended mother has to do a stepmother adoption in order to have her name put on the birth certificate.

The second type, gestational, differentiates from the previous one mainly in the fact that the offspring is the result of the egg and sperm of the intended parents, which are fertilized in vitro and then implanted into the uterus of the surrogate mother.

In order to become a surrogate mother the woman undergoes a series of medical tests previous to the planting of the egg or the insemination. In the gestational procedure, once all of the testing is completed the egg donor and the surrogate are given birth control pills to synchronize their cycles and hormonal injections to control them. All this process will ensure that the surrogate’s uterus is ready to receive the embryo.

Not any woman could be a surrogate mother, being in good overall health and able to undergo a pregnancy with minimum risk to her own health are mandatory.
It is also needed the backing of a partner family and friends to provide emotional support and help throughout and after pregnancy.
Additionally, it is also recommended that surrogate mothers have at least one child of their own and preferably have completed their family before going through this procedure.
This will mean that the woman understands perfectly the arrangement and has the knowledge on which to base her decision.

I suppose giving birth must be a great experience and I assume that not having the chance to do it must be discouraging, but I do not think that surrogacy could be a solution.
I believe that if a couple doesn’t have the physical possibility of having a child they should choose adoption as a way to make the dream of raising a family come true.
Not even a written arrangement could avoid the surrogate regrets from bearing a baby who in some way is hers.

To conclude, surrogacy is not a simple arrangement; it is extremely complex. Feelings involve are overwhelming and the relationships can be stressful and intense.
Both the surrogate and the intended parents must obtain legal and psychological counsel before agreeing on surrogacy.