Looking for a surrogate mother is not an easy task, which is why many intended parents seek the help of a surrogate agency. Once you have made the difficult resolution of opting for a surrogacy procedure to build your family, the road ahead can be confusing and daunting. You will spend a long time considering various emotional roller coasters that you have to go through, along with your family and the people that will be involved in the procedure. You may also be unsure about the practicalities and processes involved in a surrogacy procedure.
There are multiple surrogacy benefits you have considered but there are also pitfalls you want to avoid which is why you are advised to work with a reputable surrogate agency.
When pushing through the procedure, there are many decisions you have to make. First, you need to identify and decide on which type of surrogacy procedure do you need and which process would you go through. When making the decision, it is important to have a medical professional or surrogate doctor to guide you. One of the options is artificial insemination where the woman never has enough or lost egg cells.
Since the intended mother’s eggs cannot be used, the sperm of the intended father will be artificially inseminated to the surrogate mother’s egg. Therefore, the child will be biologically related to the surrogate mother. The procedure mentioned falls under the type of surrogacy which is referred to as traditional surrogacy.
Since the child has no biological relation to the intended mother, there are legal implications that must be followed. The intended mother must adopt the baby once he or she is born to have a legal claim and be recognized as the child’s parent. The intended parents must ensure that the surrogate mother signs a legal agreement that she will give up her parental rights.
In some cases, the intended parents agree or allow the surrogate mother to have some form of visitation rights since she has a biological relationship with the child. It must be noted that all these details are arranged and agreed upon before the child’s birth.
If the traditional route is not a good option, you can opt for gestational surrogacy. This procedure allows the intended parents’ egg and sperm to be combined through the process called in-vitro fertilization (IVF). The resulting embryo would be inseminated or inserted into the surrogate’s womb. This process is done if the pregnancy is dangerous to be carried by the intended mother. In other cases, gestational surrogacy does not entirely need the intended parents’ egg and sperm. If either of the intended mother or father is infertile.
A sperm or egg donor will be utilized. The same IVF process will be used and the embryo will be transferred to the surrogate. Gestational surrogacy is the most common procedure since the surrogate mother has no biological relations to the child.
Whichever method you plan to choose, the surrogate mother will also experience emotional complexities, which is why she must be emotionally stable. Some intended parents choose to do the procedure independently and choose a family member or close friend as the surrogate.
Such independent arrangements have some benefits such as there is a greater level of connection between the intended parents and surrogates. Since the surrogate is a close friend or family member, she can stay in contact with the child. It is also way cheaper than going through an agency.
However, there are major disadvantages to going to the independent route. You still need to stick to a legal protocol even if your surrogate is a close family member. There must be lawyers involved to create an agreement for both parties. Your surrogate choice and her partner will also need to have medical testing which you have to organize for yourself. The medical tests include physical and psychological tests.
The process is too unnerving and difficult. You have to learn everything for yourself with no one else to guide you. This is why partnering with a dependable agency is a great solution and you will reap surrogacy benefits while in the process.
You may feel odd that you are involving a stranger to this very sensitive experience but at least, you have an assurance that the surrogate underwent rigorous screenings. A reliable agency will always keep you updated and informed through all the stages of the process.
One of the best surrogacy benefits you can gain with an agency is that they will have to do the hard work and update you on what is needed. This removes the stress of the journey from you. The agency will get your medical history, as well as your potential surrogate’s physiological and psychological tests. They will use this information to match a compatible surrogate that will match your needs.