Gestational Surrogacy Overview

Gestational surrogacy is one option available to surrogate mothers and intended parents. While the procedures involved in gestational surrogacy may be more complicated than those in traditional surrogacy, it has different benefits and considerations. In gestational surrogacy, both intended parents will be biologically related to the child.

This type of surrogacy is also called IVF surrogacy because it involves in vitro fertilization. In IVF surrogacy, the intended father's sperm and the mother's egg are used to produce pregnancy. As a result of the additional time and medical procedures involved, gestational surrogacy is more expensive than traditional surrogacy.

For some parents, it is important that they both be genetically related to their child. They may choose this option because the intended mother is unable to carry a child to term or because they have had difficulties in getting pregnant on their own.

When choosing this option, intended parents would want to be sure that they do not carry any undesirable genetic features that can complicate the pregnancy. The surrogate mother will also be screened for undesirable genetic factors, as well as any health issues that can affect the pregnancy or the health of the baby.

There is a time factor to consider when choosing gestational surrogacy. It takes time for menstrual cycles to be synchronized and for the surrogate mother's body to become prepared for pregnancy. In addition, not every attempt at pregnancy will be successful. It may take several attempts before the surrogate mother becomes pregnant.

Intended parents must also consider the very real possibility that a pregnancy may produce multiple children. The surrogate mother may give birth to twins, triplets, or more children in a single birth. There are many health considerations for multiple births. The consequences for both the surrogate mother and children should be discussed before pregnancy occurs.

Gestational surrogacy is a wonderful option for parents that are unable to conceive on their own. While it requires varying degrees of medical procedures for those involved, it can also produce a beautiful, genetically-related child for intended parents.

In addition to the higher costs associated with IVF surrogacy, it may also take longer than traditional surrogacy to produce pregnancy. If intended parents are willing to wait for the process to be completed, this may be the best option for them. Although, IVF surrogacy can be more time intensive than its counterpart, intended parents may feel that having genetically-related children is worth the wait and the cost.

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