Surrogacy
Making a Dream Come True

The definition of surrogacy or the term - surrogacy is applied to women who offer to have a child for another. A surrogate is a woman who will bear an infant on behalf of another and go through an entire pregnancy on her behalf. Surrogates offer a type of donation - either her own egg is used, and/or her uterus is being temporarily donated for a couple to have their own child.

Surrogate motherhood has many challenges of its own, and will require a great deal of thought and investigation when going this route as a choice of conception.

Surrogacy would require one of the Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) techniques depending on the circumstances and recommendations of the physician who carries out the procedure. The decision would depend on the health of the surrogate and the results from the tests she will undergo to qualify her from a medical perspective.

The ART techniques could include one or a combination of these techniques:

• Sperm washing - to isolate only the healthy sperm
• I.C.S.I. - A direct injection to egg of a healthy robust sperm
• Artificial insemination - a successful non invasive technique
• In Vitro Fertilization - explains the process of IVF
• IVF Treatment - the steps to be followed to achieve pregnancy
• Gamete Intra Fallopian Transfer (G.I.F.T.) - considered the most "natural" ART process

Use of donors

Surrogacy requires some form of donation, either from the biological parents, donating his sperm and her egg or from a sperm donor or an egg donor. Normally either the man or woman or both, will have some type of medical condition that has prevented naturally pregnancy. The use of donor sperm or eggs, or a combination of the two - an embryo, will be required for pregnancy to be possible.

Should a rare circumstance exist where both male and female are diagnosed with infertility issues preventing either from creating a pregnancy, then a sperm and egg donor, as well as a surrogate mother, will be required for an infant to be conceived.

Choice of a surrogate

The choice of surrogate mothers should be considered very carefully. The criteria for selection is essential as discussed on types of surrogacy and surrogate motherhood.

Children born from surrogate mothers are normally handed to the parents at birth. A legal adoption will follow and the surrogate mother has no further involvement with the child.

Where the surrogate woman is the biological mother of the child, she may find it hard to part with the baby when it is born. This kind of complication is addressed in the contracts between the parties before a pregnancy is begun.

However, she may not be willing to part with the baby once it is born, and legal complications can arise as a result. She may also want to keep up a relationship with the child, and may not be allowed to.

Another consideration for the parents of a child born by surrogates, is if the child bears any abnormalities. Planning and arrangements for this type of situation should also be considered in the legal contract negotiated before pregnancy is attempted.

Ethics of surrogacy

Not only are there many factors to consider when enlisting surrogates as a means of conception to overcome infertility, there is also a great deal of public controversy over surrogate motherhood as a choice of conception. Knowing that this controversy may affect the couple at some time in the process, will allow it to be managed and dealt with when and if it comes up.

There are couples who chose using a surrogate to birth their child, as a means of convenience. However for those couples who face the dilemma of infertility and are unable to conceive a child naturally, surrogacy may be a dream come true. Investigating the ethics of surrogacy may be from a religious or cultural belief, but the fact remains that this may be the only option available for the couple.

An infertile couple may realise their dream of having their own child with the help of a surrogate.

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