Warren and I have actually been thinking about surrogacy after losing 3 pregnancies last year.. I just don't know if I can go through it again if it were to happen, although Warren thinks we should try once more (after the wedding). There are a number of reasons as to why a woman is unable to carry a pregnancy; disease, hysterectomy and infertility. However, surrogacy is a fertility treatment that these women can turn to when they are unable to carry and deliver a baby safely.
So how does this arrangement work? Another woman (a surrogate mother) makes an agreement to carry a baby on behalf of those individuals or couples who are sadly unable to. Surrogacy is a suitable option for women who wish to have a child but cannot do so naturally; the treatment allows struggling couples to start the family that only exists in their dreams.
Who Chooses Surrogacy?
People from all walks of life are opting for this fertility treatment as a way to be able to have a child. An ideal candidate for surrogacy would be:
- Couples and single women who have experienced multiple miscarriages or have had trouble conceiving;
- Couples or single women who do not have a uterus, or have a congenital anomaly of the uterus, but do have intact ovaries;
- Gay male couples who wish to have a child with a genetic link to their partner
There are two main types of surrogacy: gestational and traditional. Whilst both options are used, gestational surrogacy is a more popular method as it is possible to have genetic links to both parents.
Gestational Surrogacy
This procedure does not use any of the surrogate’s eggs therefore the resultant child will not be biologically related to the surrogate mother. Instead, the gestational surrogate is impregnated with the egg of the intended mother, which has been previously fertilised by the sperm of the intended father or a donor sperm. This process is called vitro fertilisation, commonly referred to as IVF. In order to ensure successful impregnation, it may be necessary for the surrogate mother to take fertility drugs.
Gestational surrogacy is usually used when a woman has ovaries but does not have a uterus. This means she is able to donate eggs to the surrogate mother but unfortunately, cannot carry a baby as she does not have a womb. The gestational surrogate will carry and deliver the baby, and providing the baby is healthy, the intended parents will take over responsibility immediately after the birth.
Traditional Surrogacy
With traditional surrogacy, the surrogate supplies her own eggs to be fertilised therefore she is biologically related to the baby.
The surrogate is impregnated via intrauterine insemination (IUI). This procedure involves the implantation of sperm from the intended father into the woman’s reproductive tract. The sperm is usually washed and concentrated before IUI in order to maximise the chance of egg fertilisation.
Whilst the surrogate mother is biologically related to the baby, she gives up her parental rights at birth and passes them on to the intended mother. Usually, surrogates tend to be related to friends or relatives of the parents due to their genetic link to the child. However, related or not, surrogate mothers are able to detach from the child after carrying in the womb for nine months.
Are you thinking of choosing surrogacy as a fertility treatment option? Look no further than The London Women’s Clinic. The team of knowledgeable consultants and nursing staff at this clinic will be able to provide you with expert information and helpful advice on the treatment. Call 020 7563 4309 today.
What do you think of surrogacy? What would you do in my position?
No comments:
Post a Comment