What is Surrogacy Process? Surrogacy Types, Cost, Meaning and More

What is Surrogacy Process? Surrogacy Types, Surrogacy Cost, and Surrogacy Meaning and More!

Surrogacy is an assisted reproduction technique in which expected parents work with a gestational surrogate that carries and cares for their baby(s) until birth. Parents intended to use surrogacy when they are unable to carry the baby on their own due to medical reasons. But what is surrogacy process, meaning, and definition?

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What is Surrogacy?

Gestational surrogacy helps those who are unable to carry a child of their own. In gestational surrogacy, the surrogate carries the child for the intended parents and is the birthing mother of the baby. The egg of the intended mother or from the egg donor has fertilized artificially with the sperm of the intended father or of a sperm donor.

This is used to create an embryo artificially using in vitro fertilization (IVF). These embryos are created in the lab and with fertility clinics. These embryos are then planted into your gestational surrogate who would carry the child until birth.

Surrogacy laws vary depending upon the countries so it is advised that intended parents do research before opting for gestational surrogacy or altruistic surrogacy process.

Additional Guides for Surrogacy in Georgia

Surrogacy in Georgia Country

What are the Starting Steps for Surrogacy Process in Georgia?

How Much Does Surrogacy Cost in Georgia Country

Surrogacy for Hetero Couples in Georgia Europe

Types of surrogacy

Let’s discuss briefly various types of surrogacy:

Gestational vs. Traditional Surrogacy: With regards to creating an embryo, the two main types of surrogacy are traditional and gestational.

In gestational surrogacy, the prospective parents create embryos with their very own egg and sperm or utilizing donated sperm or egg with the help of the IVF Process.  It is done in the IVF clinic under the supervision of a fertility specialist.  A surrogate mother is the only carrier of the baby and does not genetically link with the baby.

It is the most common form of surrogacy in the world.

While traditional surrogacy means the surrogate mother is being genetically related to the baby, she is carrying. Traditional surrogacy is not a common surrogacy form as it comes with lots of legal and emotional baggage.

For traditional surrogacy, the method of insemination can be a home kit or in the doctor’s office.  The cost of surrogacy is a bit low as no expensive medical procure like IVF is needed.

Commercial or altruistic surrogacy: Different ways that can affect the types of surrogacy is if the surrogate mother is compensated for her time and effort or not.

When a surrogate is given a base payment for carrying the kid, this is called compensated surrogacy or commercial surrogacy.  It is the most common form of surrogacy and allowed in many countries like the USA (few states), Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia.

If a surrogate doesn’t receive any monetary benefits of carrying the baby, she is participating in an altruistic surrogacy. She can get the necessary reimbursement for her medical expenses, travel expense, and loss of wages, but no money is paid for carrying the baby.

This form of surrogacy is not common but legally allowed in a few countries like Canada, UK, and Australia.

If you have a family member or friend as a surrogate, it comes under altruistic surrogacy.

Domestic vs. International Surrogacy:  It based on which location the surrogacy process took place.

Surrogacy is an ART procedure that is completed around the world. Nevertheless, many countries have strict regulations for surrogacy, and in some countries, it is illegal at all.

So, if you are doing surrogacy in your home country, it can be a domestic surrogacy.  The countries like the USA have a robust legal framework for surrogacy.  So, American citizens try to do surrogacy in the USA.

But most time, due to the incredible high surrogacy cost in the US, makes them opt for international surrogacy.

Domestic surrogacy allows parents and surrogates to meet, establish a connection, and easily remain in contact throughout the entire surrogacy procedure.

In International Surrogacy, the intended parents go out of their countries to do the surrogacy process.

International surrogacy is common in those nations where surrogacy is illegal.  For such couples, the only hope is to go out of their country to have a baby via the surrogacy process. Countries like China and Singapore do not allow surrogacy in their land.

Agency Surrogacy or independent surrogacy:  Typically, surrogates and intended parents will choose between these types of surrogacy based on their specific case.

If intended parents and surrogates have not found one another yet, they’ll usually work with a trusted surrogacy agency.

A surrogacy agency can help them find each other and match them based on their need.  In short, they find a perfect match of a surrogate and intend parents, and then coordinate and assist full surrogacy journey with them.

It is worth mentioning that the surrogacy agency helps come with a hefty fee.  So, intended parents need to have a deep pocket to hire a surrogacy agency to manage their surrogacy journey.

Independent Surrogacy is when intended parents and surrogates are aware of the surrogacy process or are comfortable handling all tasks themselves.

If intended parents are working with a surrogate they know (usually a friend or family member), they may feel comfortable without the mediation services offered by a surrogacy agency.

Because they will already be matched, they may just need a surrogacy lawyer and fertility clinic to handle the legal and medical aspects of surrogacy.

For intended parents who are looking to save money on their surrogacy, independent surrogacy may be the cheaper option between these two types of surrogacy.

Why opt for a surrogacy program?

There are a variety of reasons why couples all around the world might choose surrogacy. Here are some of the common reasons –

1. Same-Sex Couples – Gay couples, especially men will use surrogacy by using their sperm and egg donor to have a child of their own. This practice is gaining popularity these days.
2. Single people who want to be a parent – The biological clock doesn’t always tick a woman. There are times when a man is ready to become a dad and doesn’t want around a relationship with women to make it happen. So, gestational surrogacy is an important option for those who want to build their family on their own terms.
3. Advanced age of the mother – While there are many cases where the women of the advanced ages who have carried the child until the birth and have performed the IVF by using an egg donor to carry the healthy pregnancy. But this choice is not available to everyone. In cases where the female age is more and it is riskier to carry the pregnancy because it might not be safer for the child or for the mother to carry.
4. Medications – There are some cases where the women may need to take the medication which might create an issue during the pregnancy. So, either these medications have to be stopped or the pregnancy has to be prevented. In these cases, where stopping the medicine is not an option, one should definitely go for surrogacy.
5. Life-threatening conditions – There are some conditions that can make carrying a child too dangerous for the woman or for the child. One such example of disease is known as Placenta Accreta. This is a condition where the blood cells of the placenta grow too deeply in the uterine wall which increases the risk of hemorrhage.
6. Uterine problems –Some women have a problem with the uterus. Some might lack the organ as well. This can be a result of rare genetic malformation which affects one in 12,000 women or due to some infection of tumor she may have her uterus removed. The lack of a uterus destroys the chances of women carrying the child.
7. Unexplained infertility – Sometimes the patient has to go through 4 to 5 rounds of IVF cycles and still not successful in carrying the baby. In these cases where there is repeated failure of pregnancy women can opt for gestational surrogacy.

More Resources to Read:

Guaranteed Surrogacy in Georgia

How Does Gestational Surrogacy Work in Georgia? Step-by-step Guidance

Surrogacy Cost in Georgia

Surrogate Mother Cost in Georgia

What does a surrogate mother cost?

The surrogate compensation differs from nation to nation. It is also not permitted in some nations to pay the surrogate anything out of pocket.

The surrogate pay will cost you about $35,000 to $60,000 in the United States. While for Ukraine, Columbia, and Georgia, it is $15,000, to $18,000.

Overall surrogacy cost depends on many factors.

Read more on this topic:

How much does surrogacy cost?

Georgia surrogacy cost

What is the surrogacy process?

 

Surrogacy is a complex procedure and it is very important to take the help of the agency or of the surrogacy expert to complete the procedure. Moreover, it will look like this –

• Apply as intended parents or the surrogate
• Complete the initial requirement as a parent and meet all the required criteria for being the surrogate.
• Matching of intended parents with the surrogate
• Medical screening, a surrogate medicine, and embryo transfer
• Pregnancy confirmation
• Day of delivery and beyond

What does it mean to be a surrogate mother?

It’s a life-changing experience for both surrogate and intended parents. Surrogate mothers are generous, selfless, family-oriented women who are ready to assist childless couples in growing their families.

Many surrogates form life-long bonds with their intended parents and remain part of the lives of each other long after birth.

The gift of parenthood is empowering to be able to give to someone. Women who apply to become surrogates are willing to be “all-in” for their expected parents emotionally, physically, and mentally. To be eligible for a gestational surrogate, the lady has to meet the basic surrogate requirements.

What does it mean for intended parents?

It is an emotional and rewarding route to parenthood to become a parent through surrogacy. Intended parents place their confidence not only in their gestational carrier but also in their surrogacy organization.

The surrogacy process can be full of ups and downs, but it’s difficult to put into words the day your child is born. Working with a surrogacy agency gives parents a level of partnership and expertise that they wouldn’t have alone.

Benefits of the Surrogacy process

There are many more advantages as to why choose surrogacy:

• Surrogacy makes it possible for single male and gay couples to create their family.
• Surrogacy enables the expected parents to have the child’s genetic connection.
• Intended parents are involved throughout the pregnancy experience and can generally be present for many significant milestones, from the transfer of the embryo to the birth of their child.
• Surrogacy gives anticipated parents the opportunity to comprehend and develop a distinctive relationship with their surrogate and family.
• With surrogacy, expected parents may face fewer constraints than with adoption; surrogacy may still be pursued by those who are unable to adopt variables such as age owing to agency constraints.

Conclusion 

Surrogacy therefore not only helps you create your own family but also enables you to fulfill it. And surrogacy can be chosen by anyone. As a consequence of their private decision, there are individuals who may choose surrogacy. However, high surrogacy cost makes it difficult for many couples.

Surrogacy is not just about building a family—it’s about fulfilling dreams. It offers hope to individuals and couples who may face biological challenges in conceiving a child. However, the high cost of surrogacy presents a significant obstacle for many aspiring parents, limiting access to this transformative journey.

Despite financial barriers, surrogacy remains a beacon of hope for those longing to become parents. By addressing the affordability and accessibility of surrogacy, we can ensure that this option remains within reach for all who seek to experience the profound joy of parenthood.

In embracing the transformative potential of surrogacy and advocating for greater accessibility, we affirm the fundamental right of every individual to create and nurture a family, regardless of their circumstances.

If you’d like to learn more about IVF, Egg Donation, or surrogacy services globally, check out the rest of our website at Complete Surrogacy. We offer legally secure and affordable surrogacy consulting services for FREE.

Our team has over 14 years of experience facilitating surrogacy arrangements, egg donation, and serving as an advocacy resource for infertile couples and LGBTQ individuals seeking to build families. 

For more resources on IVF and Surrogacy, browse our other web page- IVF Conceptions

More reference:

• https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/9/6/georgia-plans-to-ban-commercial-surrogacy
• https://ge.usembassy.gov/message-for-u-s-citizens-new-law-banning-surrogacy-planned-in-georgia/