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Surrogacy
Surrogacy or gestational care is a family building option for those who want a child with genetic ties and have not had success with other “first-line” assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments. Surrogacy, in which a woman carries and gives birth to another woman’s baby, has a long history, dating back as far as the Old Testament story of Sarah and Hagar.
Traditional and Gestational
Two types of surrogacy - traditional and gestational - are practiced today. In traditional surrogacy, a woman called a “surrogate mother” carries an embryo conceived with her own egg and the sperm of a male who, with his partner, wants a baby. In gestational surrogacy, the surrogate, called a gestational carrier, gives birth to a baby conceived with an egg and sperm of a couple or a donor egg or sperm. The majority of surrogates today are gestational carriers.
Traditional surrogacy can be done via intrauterine insemination IUI or in vitro fertilization (IVF). With gestational surrogacy IVF is used to fertilize the eggs in a laboratory. If the fertilization is successful, a doctor transfers some or all of the resulting embryos (often 2 or 3) into to the surrogate’s uterus. If all goes well, the surrogate/gestational carrier delivers the baby and immediately relinquishes him/her to the parent(s).
IVF, which came into practice in 1978, transformed surrogacy into a popular practice today.
Who Uses Surrogacy?
Candidates for surrogacy are:
- Couples and single women who have had multiple miscarriages, or difficulty conceiving and/or carrying a fetus to term. Surrogacy enables them to have a child genetically related to one or both.
- Gay male couples who want a child with a genetic connection to one partner.
- Couples or single women in which the woman has no uterus or a congenital anomaly of her uterus but has intact ovaries.
What to Consider
Surrogacy involves many legal, ethical and financial considerations. Usually potential parents pay the surrogate a fee for carrying the child, along with her medical expenses. Costs can start at $20,000 or more, up to $120,000. Legal contracts are required before the process begins to protect the rights and responsibilities of the parents, surrogate, and intended child. Both the third party and intended parents should have separate legal counsel.
Finding a Surrogate
Most people locate gestational carriers/surrogates through fertility clinics, websites, lawyers, and private agencies. Most agencies require that potential surrogates already have had a child/children of their own, are healthy medically and emotionally, and are not motivated solely by financially considerations.
Comments
ISCI and IVF
I just want to know if ISCI is a procedure only done with IVF or can it be done alone?
If I am 45 and
If I am 45 and perimenopausal can my eggs be implanted into a gestational surrogate?
Hi Terry -- I would
Hi Terry --
I would encourage you to talk to your doctor about your options. It may be that surrogacy with donor egg (or your own pregnancy with donor egg) would be a better bet but it depends on a lot of factors. Good luck!
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Need help with our site? Contact me at claire@fertilityauthority.com. I'm happy to help!
Frankly, I don't know if I
Frankly, I don't know if I could get involved in a situation of this type. I would like to feel how the child is growing inside of me. But, of course, if I couldn't conceive I would have this option in my mind too..
I'm 42 years old and when I
I'm 42 years old and when I was 23 I had my tubes tide. Otherwise everything is good. I have two living childrens, I have always wanted to help those who can not have the joy of having a child for health or other reasons. But my questions is would a person like me be able to carry a child having my tubes tied?
Hi, You can be a
Hi,
You can be a Gestational Surrogate when you have your tubes tied. I would get checked out first by a fertility doctor to get a professional opinion if he thinks you are healthy to carry. How old is your youngest child if you don`t mind me asking? Usually after the age of 35, a Reproductive Endocrinologist is a bit lerey unless you have had a child in the last 1-2 years. Best of luck to you though!
my daughter can not have a
my daughter can not have a child because of a heart condition. He mother is 55, in good health, can she carry the baby if in good health. Is there an age limit where it is not safe
Generally there is an age
Generally there is an age limit for surrogates - for many programs the cutoff is 40. If your daughter is interested in using a surrogate, she should contact an agency or attorney in her area who handles surrogacy agreements, as well as schedule an appointment with a reproductive endocrinologist - or fertility specialist - to understand what her options are.
i had my tubes tied when i
i had my tubes tied when i was 24 (2000) now i regret it and would like to have another child i am now 34, i have 2 chidren 13 and 9 . what are my options generally? reversing the tubel or artifical?
One my friend can't have
One my friend can't have children (medical error during the operation), but she want a big family with a lot of children. Can you advise her what method to choose?
Your friend should contact
Your friend should contact a fertility specialist - or reproductive endocrinologist who can help her determine what her options are for having a family. There is a Find A Doctor search on every page of www.fertilityauthority.com.
If you are interested in
If you are interested in becoming a surrogate, you should contact an agency or attorney in your area who manages surrogacy arrangements. They can advise you on all aspects of becoming a surrogate, including eligibility requirements you would need to meet and testing (medical and psychological) that you'd need to undergo.
Good luck!
I am about to use a
I am about to use a gestational carrier in a couple weeks. She is 42. Is there any implications on the pregnancy if she is over 40? It will be a frozen embryo (29 yr old egg and 32 yr old sperm.
Thanks.
Hi dear, I am leaving in
Hi dear,
I am leaving in africa, I am 42, I can not have children due to a hysterectomy that I had 2 years ago due to massive myomata. my ovaries are intact and in a relatively good working order. I know you guys might help me, please reply at the abovementioned e-mail address and tell me were can I start.
A desperate mother to be.
I am 45 and want to have a
I am 45 and want to have a child my tubes have healed in part but will need a sparm donor. I feel that I can carry them am looking to have twins if possible. And would like to know how much this would cost for the preceger and I would like to know what nationalitys can we choose from for the sparm.
Can I be a surrogate to my
Can I be a surrogate to my self I mean , can I be the carrier for a egg donnor and my husband? the doctors can not find nothing wrong on me or my husband. How much does this cost?
I am 44 years old. I have
I am 44 years old. I have had 5 children of my own and am in excellent health. I enjoy pregnancy and feel good when I am pregnant. My husband had a vasectomy 8 years ago as we decided we were done having children. I would love to help a couple to be able to have and enjoy their own child. My only concern at this point would be if I would be considered as to old?
I'm a lesbian and me and my
I'm a lesbian and me and my girlfriend want to carry each others egg just to have that special connection with the child b/c its the closest way to ever being considered the child's parent b/c whom the child is birth by, is this be possible??
I dont believe that thats
I dont believe that thats possible becausr the Mans sperm is what makes up the baby. A females eggs just set there waiting to be fertalized..
Hi, My name is Angel. I
Hi, My name is Angel. I want to be a surrogate mom. How do I go about. I am single and want to have my own child, same time help a couple also have one. Guide me. Anyone wants a surrogate mother, contact me on reetej2006@gmail.com
hi, my name is eshal, i got
hi, my name is eshal, i got married 3 times in 10 yeas, but still i couldn't concive. y i mean i went meny gayniz nd thay say that i am absoulty fine n i will have baby hopfuly. but my qustion is y couldnt i have it so far, now i'm tired of all the treatments nd i wanna go fot test tube baby. please reply me ASAP. yeah my husband's reports r normal. soo what should i do, im so confused. please replu?
hi, my name is Eshal
hi, my name is Eshal Rizwan, i am 25 yeas old nd my husband is also 25 yeas old, as i have told u above that i got maried to the third man in 10 years, nd i never conceived, my husband's repots r normal, as i went to many Gaynacoligests every one says that im perfectly fine, nd i will conceive hopefully. i also had lapars copy surgary also again my repots r normal. honestly speaking now im fedup of all the treatments nd i wanna straight go for a TEST TUBE baby. i live in Karachi PAKISTAN. so please sugest me something good, i'm soooo confused of my life bcoz otherwise my husband will remarry, nd he'll leave me. please reply me ASAP.
THANK YOU!!!
I am 46 years old and my
I am 46 years old and my wife is 43. we have 17 years old daughter. We had a still born boy (3.5 kg) on the last day. This was during year 2006. After a year my wife had a blind pregnacy which had to be terminated. She could not concieve after that incident. We feel that nothing in life but another child could help us. What is the way forward?
Nice share. I appreciate
Nice share. I appreciate this wonderful place that you have provided us. Great site and a good argument and I'm really surprised to read this. Thanks for your hard work!
I would like to know all
I would like to know all the advantages and disadvantages of fertility drug.....
I have someone who is
I have someone who is willing to carry/deliver a child for me with a sperm donor. She is 41 but has a 13 month old child. Her doctor said she is perfectly healthy to do this. But, another woman, much younger and related to me offered to donate one of her eggs for us to use , just to be on the safe side of not having any health problems with an older woman carrying the child, even though she has a healthy young child and a teen ager as well. I was thrilled because with this person, my relative, it is almost as if I'm using one of my own eggs, which if I could, I would in a heartbeat. I'm sure there are many ethical issues involved, but, if I was going to have this woman use a donor sperm and there were no problems with that, and it being her biological child that she will have for me..........why should there be a problem with using an egg/eggs of my relative to have fertalized and then put into the surrogates uterus. Is it much more difficult than it sounds? It sounds like the best plan and all of us are on board with it so why should legal, ethical matters stop me from having a child that will have direct gentic ties to me since it would be a relative donating the egg?? Sorry for such a long ? ...it is difficult to put into writing.
It was really nice to study
It was really nice to study your post. I collect some good points here.
Hi. im looking in the
Hi. im looking in the future to have a baby with my girlfriend im 34 yrs old and have two healthy boys already and never have i said i would not have anymore. were so happy and have a strong relationship, except we would really love to have a child together, except my partner feels more of a man and would not feel right carrying a child, even though she could and so much would like to have a child not only for her, us but for her parents it would be the best ever news to have a child and the support and love we would get would be out of this world. so we have a donor but what i want to know is how do i go about getting my girlfriends egg in to me so its her baby but me carrying and giving birth. in our eyes it would be our child and the donor is happy to not be apart of this as he has 3 children of his own and would love to do this for us. your reply would be great. I live in great Britain. i have asked my doctor and he has said to check this out, as not sure if can be done on the nhs. and if i had to go private how much would this cost and where do i go? just so i know. thanks
Ok so here is my questions(s)
Ok so here is my questions(s) I am in a lesbian relationship. What we would like is to have me be the surrogate. I would have my partners egg and a donor sperm. So then what's the cost of that? Since there are no surrogate fees because it's me?
Lesbian Partners
Hi mamaS - Many fertility clinics work with lesbian couples in the same situation as you - using partner's sperm and donor egg. In this case it's not considered surrogacy - it's considered "reciprocal IVF" or "Partner IVF". You should start by contacting fertility clinics near you to find out if they are GLBT friendly and setting up a consultation.
If you'd like any more info, please let me know.
Best,
Claire
I am 33 years old, been
I am 33 years old, been married for 16 years and have children of my own, i feel like my family is complete, however i believe that i am healthy enough to continue to give life and have a strong desire to help others who are wanting to become parents but are unable to, i have been thinking about becoming a surrogate for many years, i am finally ready to take the first steps and want to find the right family, while i research this i want to make myself known to potential families.
Becoming a Surrogate
Hi Lovelymommy - You should start by contacting fertility clinics or surrogacy agencies in your area to see what their requirements are for surrogates. It's important that you with an surrogacy agency or fertility clinic that will handle or facilitate all the necessary medical, psychological and legal portions of a surrogacy arrangement. It's a wonderful gift that you would like to give a family. All the best.
Claire