What Is Surrogacy and How Does It Work?

Thank you for taking the time to learn about the surrogacy process. You could be the reason that a deserving couple receives the gift of a baby. If you are interested in becoming a surrogate, or if you are curious as to how surrogacy works, keep reading to find answers and insight to some commonly asked questions.

What is Surrogacy?

There are a majority of intended mothers that cannot get pregnant or carry a child to term due to a variety of health-related issues. Some of these issues may include uterine issues, unexplained fertility, or if the intended mother has undergone a hysterectomy. In such cases, intended mothers and their spouses may choose to have another woman carry their child through surrogacy, and release the child to the intended parents upon birth. Surrogacy has become an extremely reliable alternative for intended mothers who are unable to carry a child themselves. It has also been an alternative path to parenthood for LGBTQ couples as well.

Types of Surrogacy

There are two different types of surrogacy procedures: gestational surrogacy and traditional surrogacy. Gestational surrogacy involves using IVF procedures to impregnate the surrogate. This means that the intended mother’s eggs and the intended father’s semen will be used. The egg is fertilized in a lab outside the body. With gestational surrogacy, the baby is not biologically related to the surrogate and is the method that is most commonly preferred. On the other hand, traditional surrogacy involves the surrogate’s eggs and the intended father’s semen. An insemination kit is used to impregnate the surrogate with the intended father’s semen. In both cases, the surrogate is required to release the baby into the care of the intended parents.

How Does Gestational Surrogacy Work?

There are three stages involved in gestational surrogacy.

• Stage 1 is the egg donation process. In this stage, the intended mother undergoes a procedure to extract a certain number of eggs from her body.
• Stage 2 refers to the fertilization of the egg. The egg is manually fertilized with the intended father’s semen in a test tube.
• The final stage of gestational surrogacy is the transfer stage. In this stage, up to 2 eggs are inserted into the surrogate’s womb, with the intention that the surrogate will be impregnated.

At the end of this three-stage process, it can take approximately two weeks to determine whether or not the surrogate has become successfully pregnant.

How Does Traditional Surrogacy Work?

Traditional surrogacy is a fairly straightforward process. Since the surrogate is using her own egg, she simply has to use an insemination kit to ensure that the intended father’s semen will fertilize her egg. However, despite being the baby’s biological mother, the surrogate is appointed to carry the baby to term. Once the baby is born, the intended parents are given parental rights.

Are You Qualified to Become a Surrogate?

Now that you have some information about the different types of surrogacy and how they work, you can now make an informed decision on whether or not you would like to be involved in surrogacy. It is important to note that there are a variety of qualifications involved in becoming a surrogate. Although these qualifications differ depending on the country or state that you reside in and the agency you go through, Simple Surrogacy’s surrogates have to qualify in the following aspects.

Requirements

First, in order for a surrogate to be considered, she must be between the ages of 21-40 and be a citizen or legal resident of the United States. In the case of traditional surrogacy, the surrogate must be under the age of 35. The surrogate must also have given birth to a child of her own and any previous pregnancies and deliveries must have been uncomplicated. This is important because it ensures that the surrogate can successfully carry a baby to term in a healthy manner. Moreover, the surrogate must be able to pass a background check and not be on public assistance. Another important aspect of the qualifications includes the surrogate’s willingness to adhere to all contractual obligations during the surrogacy process. This is to ensure that there are no legal conflicts during the process.

* Other qualifications can be found on our website here.

If you have any questions regarding the surrogacy process or if you are interested in becoming a surrogate, call us at 1-866-41-SURRO or visit our website today!