Surrogacy parenthood is a process by which a woman becomes a parent of a child she did not give birth to. In this case, a woman (surrogate mother) accepts to deliver a child for another person, who takes legal possession of the child at the child’s birth.
The process of surrogacy parenthood can be achieved by artificial insemination. A fertilized embryo by the male spouse’s sperm is implanted onto the fallopian tubes, cervix, or the uterus of the surrogate mother. And once the child is given birth, the surrogate mother forfeits her parental rights regarding the child, leaving the non-biological mother and the biological father as the child’s legal parents.
For the prearranged parents, surrogacy can be a life-changing experience as it tends to help them have the baby they weren’t able to have. Yet, it is crucial to evaluate all the cons and pros involved in surrogacy.
Types of surrogacy parenthood
There are two (2) types of surrogacy parenthood. These are the traditional and gestational surrogacy.
Traditional surrogacy
In this type, the surrogate mother undergoes a process known as artificial insemination (fertilization), using the intended father’s sperm. Here, the baby is genetically linked to the surrogate, but with the help of the agreement made, the child’s intended father (and a spouse, if any) will have legal possession of the child.
In most cases, there is a need for a sperm donation from an outside source. This can bring up issues regarding the child’s custody since the child won’t be related biologically to either of the intended parents but related to the surrogate mother. In a scenario like this, standard adoption protocols need to be initiated.
This technique used to be the only available method involved in achieving surrogacy parenthood.
Gestational surrogacy
This type is similar to traditional surrogacy, with the only difference been that artificial fertilization (insemination) is achieved by using the “in vitro fertilization (IVF)” technique. With the “in vitro fertilization” method, sperm from the father is used to fertilize eggs from the mother (or donor in some cases) before placing it onto the uterus of the surrogate mother (gestational surrogate).
The gestational surrogate, after that, carries the baby till he or she is delivered. The gestational surrogate here is not regarded as the child’s biological mother but as the birth mother, as she has no genetic connections with the child (her eggs were not involved in the process).
There are quite some different ways by which the embryo is created in this type of surrogacy parenthood. Some of these combinations involve the use of;
- Sperm from the intended’s father and the eggs of the intended mother.
- Both sperm and eggs of a donor
- Sperm from the father and egg from a donor
- Embryo from a donor (someone who has probably been through an “in vitro fertilization” process and has one left).
- Sperm from a donor and egg from an intended mother.
Gestational surrogacy, over the years, has come to be more popular compared to traditional surrogacy, the main reason being that there is no genetic connection between the surrogate mother and the child. And it’s worth noting that over seven hundred and fifty (750) infants are delivered through gestational surrogacy every year.
How surrogacy parenthood works
Gestational surrogacy parenthood today is a very common fertility substitute or an alternative for couples with no child out there. The process involved in surrogacy parenthood is relatively easy to understand as it is just a collection or succession of some necessary steps.
With the guidelines below, you will be able to know precisely how surrogacy parenthood works.
- Decide if you want to go for surrogacy parenthood; This is the first step to consider before venturing into surrogacy parenthood. It is a delicate journey that requires a massive obligation from both sides.
To achieve this, it is advised that before going into surrogacy parenthood, one should do in-depth research on laws, pros, and cons and reach out to professionals on surrogacy parenthood.
- Get ready for surrogacy; The next thing to do either as an intended parent or a surrogate after committing to surrogacy is to decide on the kind of surrogacy specialist you would love to work with and the objective and need for surrogacy. However, in this stage you have to get ready about surrogacy costs. Visit precio gestacion subrogada for more about surrogacy parenthood costs.
There are two (2) kinds of surrogacy specialists that you can work with. The surrogacy agency, able to provide you will all the services involved in surrogacy like counseling, matching, support, legal work, and so on, and the surrogacy attorney, who is only there to complete the surrogacy process by providing you with legislative works.
- Getting match; One of the essential surrogacy processes is finding the perfect surrogacy opportunity with either intended parents or a surrogate, depending on what you want. For those that already have a surrogacy opportunity, all they may be needing is a surrogacy attorney who would take care of the legal works. However, those who are yet to get a surrogacy opportunity are likely to enroll in surrogacy agency matching services.
- Fulfill legal requirements; At this point, the intended parent and surrogate must have decided to work together, and this will be authorized by formulating a legal contract. Each side will have to consult his or her attorney to guarantee their legal involvement is protected. After reviewing and approval from each party’s lawyer, they will then proceed to sign a contract.
- Fertilization and transfer of embryo; This process comes after the signing of the contract. This is when medical procedures are initiated to transfer the embryo(which will be done in an approved fertility clinic). The egg donor or intended mother then starts to receive treatments to help her produce eggs, which are later retrieved and fertilized to develop an embryo in the laboratory. After that, the developed embryo is transferred to the surrogate mother, who must have gone through some fertility therapies ahead of embryo transfer. The surrogate mother then starts to receive monthly allowance and compensation as soon as a successful gestation (pregnancy) is verified.
- After the lengthy procedure involved in surrogacy, welcoming a new child is an unending joy as the baby is born. In most cases, the intended parents often unite with the surrogate to celebrate a significate occasion.
The new family and the surrogate mother then go back to their various homes after the baby must have been delivered. The parents are going with a child they can call their own, and the surrogate mother, with the fulfillment of rendering selfless service to an individual who could not bear a child of their own.
Conclusion
Surrogacy parenthood can be a way to solve your fertility issues and also a way of earning by helping out people who find it challenging to have children.
However, it is crucial to evaluate and consider factors like the cons and pros of surrogacy before venturing into it, even as an intended parent or a surrogate mother.
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