The Benefits of Surrogacy

Surrogacy is frequently chosen by couples struggling with issues of infertility because of the benefits it offers as well as due to the decline of healthy newborns available for adoption.

Some such benefits are:

• The opportunity to have a child genetically related to both parents. The biological mother’s egg is fertilized with the biological father’s sperm. Then, the embryo is placed in the surrogate’s uterus and carried to term. The gestational carrier, then, has no biological link to the child and relinquishes parental rights upon the birth of the child. This can possibly prevent legal issues relating to surrogacy that have occurred in past cases of traditional or classic surrogacy.

• The opportunity to be highly involved in the pregnancy and birth of the child. Gestational surrogates can be relatives, friends, not have met the couple previously. Once an arrangement with a surrogate is made, you will most likely try IVF for a few months.

• The success rate is high. The number of surrogate births was around 550 in 2002. The Organization of Parents Through Surrogacy estimates that in the United States, carriers have been responsible for the births of nearly 10,000 babies since 1976. The number is difficult to quantify, and may be significantly higher, as some people make carrier arrangements privately, particularly in places where the procedure is illegal.

• Surrogacy can be a quicker process than adoption. It can take years for couples to find a healthy newborn to adopt particularly if they couple has specific genetic or ethnic specifications. By choosing surrogacy parents can, assuming the surrogate is healthy and has no problems with the IVF process, likely have a child in much less time than it would take to complete the adoption process and without the fear of the surrogate changing her mind or having custodial rights over the child.

More info on:

• Gestational Surrogacy
• Male Factor Infertility
• Gender Selection / PGD