Surrogacy: Requirements, Types and Challenges

Surrogacy is an arrangement defined by a legal agreement that allows a woman to carry a pregnancy to term for another person. People turn to surrogacy for different reasons such as infertility, health problems that make a pregnancy risky, and other personal reasons that do not allow them to safely carry a pregnancy to term. 

Here are a few of the main things to remember about surrogacy.

Requirements for Surrogates

Surrogate mothers should ideally be:

• Between 21 and 40 years thus an appropriate childbearing age
• Have carried at least one previous successful pregnancy
• Within a healthy body mass index (BMI) as certified by a medical practitioner
• Have a child of their own at home

Surrogate mothers should not:

• Be Individuals who have had more than three c-section births.This is because surrogates are not expected to have had significant challenges with previous pregnancies. Expected to have recent body modifications like piercings and tattoos within 12 months of participating in surrogacy.

Apart from physical qualifications, surrogates are required to meet the baseline qualifications for stable mental health. Surrogacy is a tumultuous journey that strains one’s psychological and emotional wellbeing, and therefore medical professionals and surrogacy agencies ensure that one is of sound mind. Surrogates are required to not have a history of significant psychiatric diagnoses like depression, schizophrenia, psychosis, and bipolar disorder among other mental health issues. 

Therefore, surrogate mothers are screened and evaluated for these factors before getting the green light to participate.

This screening is further supported by some documentation required of potential surrogates such as

• A letter from a certified OB/GYN ascertaining viability.
• Previous medical records
• Signed medical release forms
• A copy of a health insurance policy
• A copy of her driver’s license

Surrogates are also required to obtain legal counsel to ensure they are duly informed of the risks, terms, and expectations of a surrogacy journey. This ensures that involved parties are aware of their roles and responsibilities and consent to following them of their free will.

Types of Surrogacy

Traditional Surrogacy

In traditional surrogacy, a surrogate mother donates her egg that is used to create the embryo with the sperm of the intended father. The embryo is created through intrauterine insemination (IUI) and thus, the baby is biologically related to the surrogate mother in traditional surrogacy.

Gestational Surrogacy

In gestational surrogacy, the surrogate is not biologically related to the baby she is carrying. This is because the embryo is created using an intended mother’s egg, or that of a separate female donor, with the sperm of an intended father or a doner using in-vitro fertilization (IVF). 

Commercial Surrogacy

This is an arrangement where a surrogate mother is compensated for her services beyond the costs of reimbursement for medical expenses and lost income incurred during a pregnancy term. Many jurisdictions across the world have largely outlawed commercial surrogacy due to its slightly predatory nature.

This is because of the overwhelming view that surrogacy is a deeply personal journey that is not financially motivated. 

In the past, people have taken advantage of the commercial nature of this sector, thus resulting in unsavory situations.

However, some places have laws that explicitly support commercial surrogacy. Various states in the USA and the countries Ukraine and Georgia support commercial surrogacy.

Other countries like Thailand, India, and Cambodia previously allowed commercial surrogacy without a definitive legal framework. But they were recently outlawed by the respective governments.

Altruistic Surrogacy

 Altruistic surrogacy refers to surrogacy agreements that involve no monetary compensation that exceeds medical costs incurred during pregnancy. In many cases of altruistic surrogacy, the surrogate mother is closely related to or associated with the intended parents. This is the only type of surrogacy allowed in some countries like Canada.  However, Canadian federal law deems it a criminal offense for surrogates to be paid more than their expenses. 

Challenges

Surrogacy is physically and psychologically demanding to surrogate mothers. Before they encounter the typical challenges of pregnancy, surrogates undergo:

•  multiple screenings, 
• fertility treatments, and 
• other appointments to ensure they are the right fit for a set of intended parents. Also, that they can carry a pregnancy successful

Surrogacy can be emotionally challenging to both surrogates and intended parents. This is because pregnancy is inherently stressful, more so when the people carrying the baby and those expected to raise the baby are different.

Surrogacy communities and agencies alike offer counseling services to help them manage the emotional and psychological toll. 

Another significant challenge is the cost implications for intended parents as they are expected to foot the medical bills. Additionally, there are other costs such as legal fees and lost income experienced by surrogates towards the tail end of the pregnancy term.

Also, surrogacy requires a significant time commitment to satisfy screening appointments, evaluations, meetings with intended parents, and fulfilling medical and legal factors. This makes the process time-consuming, and it can take more than a year to complete a surrogacy journey.

Conclusion

Whether you are considering surrogacy from the perspective of an intended parent or a potential surrogate, there are many factors to consider when determining the right path for you. We have some resources to help you find more information and experienced people who can provide further guidance.

Hope you found the article beneficial. Please leave your inputs in the comments!