Many legal options are available for people looking to become parents in the United States and other countries but can’t have kids themselves. While it is not easy or cheap to raise a child on your own, having the opportunity to select from multiple options can make surrogacy an attractive option for potential parents.
Surrogacy is the process of carrying and delivering a baby for someone else. It’s a complicated procedure that requires the surrogate to undergo hormonal therapy and in-vitro fertilization. In surrogacy, the surrogate mother is artificially inseminated with sperm from the man of the intended parents. The embryo is then implanted in her uterus and carried until it’s born.
Increasing numbers of women are deciding to have children through surrogacy. Different factors contribute to this, as more women seek independent childbearing options. They may also want to use a surrogate because they have fertility problems and believe surrogacy is their only viable option. For more details, please see page linked to this topic.
Benefits Of Surrogacy
Surrogacy has many benefits over other options, such as adoption, which include:
It Completes A Family
Surrogacy is frequently the answer to years of futile efforts to have a family for those who have struggled with infertility or who have medical issues that make pregnancy risky. Likewise, most women who decide to be a surrogate do so to experience a profound sense of pride and satisfaction for having helped another family in the most unselfish manner possible.
It Is A Chance For The Surrogate To Earn Money
In exchange for the surrogate’s commitment to the intended parents and the various physical and emotional responsibilities of pregnancy, the surrogate mother gets paid upfront by the couple and receives an additional payment when she gives birth.
It Has A Higher Chance Of Success
Many couples who choose surrogacy for their family use this option to become parents. The IVF process is often a success, but other risks are involved. With surrogacy, these risks are reduced or entirely avoided because the only role of the surrogate mother is to bear the child and give it up to the biological parents.
Therefore, the best way to reduce those risks is by choosing a surrogate mother with good genetics, health and personality traits that will make her an ideal parent for your baby. This means you can be more confident about your decision and less worried about the underlying risks during pregnancy or the delivery.
It Has Genetical Relation
For the intended parents, surrogacy is a wonderful option. The process of creating a family that isn’t biologically related to them can be a daunting task. Surrogacy gives them an alternative to creating a family that’s genetically related to them.
It Fosters Relations And Emotional Support
Surrogacy is an emotionally and physically profound experience for the surrogate and intended parents.
The process of surrogacy involves many steps, including the pre-surrogacy screening process, embryo transfer, which includes taking blood samples from both parties, and even physical examinations by medical professionals. Surrogacy can be a stressful process for both parties involved. However, it’s also an opportunity to connect and foster relationships on a deeper level and extend emotional support that can last a lifetime.
Risks Of Surrogacy
In the United States, surrogacy is legal in every state, and it’s one of the most popular alternatives for infertile couples who want to have children. However, surrogacy comes with many risks that may not be worth taking. These include the following:
It Can Be Complicated
The surrogacy procedure is intricate and involves numerous people and agencies. It covers numerous factors, including legal and medical challenges, such as genetic illnesses or congenital disabilities in surrogate-born children. In addition, other factors affect the success of surrogacy, such as the health of both parents and the surrogate mother.
It Can Be Costly
Cost is one of the most significant risks associated with surrogacy. This is particularly true for the intended parents with limited resources and cannot cover all of the costs associated with surrogacy.
It Has Emotional Risks
Pregnancy and giving birth can be difficult for any woman’s mental health. There’s also the possibility of attachment issues between the surrogate mother and the baby. The surrogate may want to keep the child after birth.
It Is Uncontrollable
During your surrogacy journey, you’ll have no control over what transpires, making some people apprehensive or fearful of their situation. If the pregnancy or delivery doesn’t go as planned, you and the surrogate mother have no idea what the outcome will be or if you will face any consequences.
It Has Legal Risks
The legal rights of surrogates are often unclear, meaning they can’t make decisions about their pregnancies. Legal issues can arise with surrogacy agreements.
It Has Health Risks
The surrogacy process can be risky for both the surrogate and the future parents. And just like with any pregnancy, health complications for the surrogate mother and child can occur. The risks of surrogacy include congenital disabilities, miscarriages, premature births, and high-risk pregnancies.
Final Thoughts
As previously discussed, surrogacy can be an excellent choice for many married couples struggling with fertility issues and wanting to expand their family. It’s also a viable alternative for same-sex couples and single men and women who cannot conceive a child on their own. However, there are costs and risks involved for the commissioning couple. In the end, surrogacy may not be the best choice for everyone–but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth exploring as an option if it could potentially make your family’s dreams a reality.