Is Surrogacy the Right Choice for Me?

Becoming a parent is an enormous decision, but for many people dealing with fertility issues, the decisions don’t stop there. If you and your partner are unable to have children naturally, you may be considering surrogacy, adoption, fertility treatments, or other methods of expanding your family. Surrogacy has become an extremely likeable option for parents who want to experience the joys of raising a child but are unable to carry the child themselves. If you are considering using a surrogate mother, find out if surrogacy is the right choice for you.

Defining Surrogacy

Nowadays, there are two different forms of surrogacy available. Whether parents choose gestational or traditional surrogacy depends entirely on their personal wishes and capabilities. Traditional surrogacy uses the surrogate mother’s own egg and fertilizes it with either a donor sperm or with the sperm of one of the parents-to-be. Gestational surrogacy, however, utilizes the fertilized egg of one of the parents-to-be, which is implanted into the surrogate mother. Gestational surrogacy has become increasingly popular, as it allows couples to use the sperm from one partner and the egg from the other without having to rely on a donor.

Deciding which method of surrogacy works best for your family is a personal choice, and there is no universally right choice for every couple. For example, same-sex male couples may find traditional surrogacy more favorable, unless they have a specific egg donor in mind. Discussing the pros and cons of traditional and gestational surrogacy with your doctor may help steer you in the right direction.

Choosing a Surrogate Mother

The parents-to-be will be paired with a surrogate depending on their preferences and circumstances. All selected candidates are thoroughly screened and checked to ensure that they are in optimal health and emotionally prepared to take on the role of a responsible surrogate mother. Some couples may opt to work with a relative or friend who has volunteered to act as their surrogate, while others choose to pair up with surrogate mothers selected by the fertility center. The surrogate mothers chosen by our staff at Palm Beach Fertility Center will be healthy, under the age of 40, and will usually have successfully given birth before.

The Surrogacy Process

Before you decide whether or not to choose surrogacy, you should know how the process works. Once a surrogate mother has been selected, both she and the egg donor, (or the mother-to-be) will synchronize their menstrual cycles with the help of hormonal birth control pills. Next, the surrogate will take specific medications to stimulate fertility and prepare the uterus lining for the fertilized egg. Once the eggs are retrieved and fertilized, one or more eggs will be transferred into the surrogate.

When an egg has successfully been transferred, the surrogate mother will carry the child through the pregnancy and give the baby to the parents after the birth. Any unused fertilized eggs can be preserved for future use, if the parents wish.

Why Choose Surrogacy?

People choose to work with a surrogate mother for several different reasons. Same-sex male couples often choose surrogacy because it gives them the chance to use one of their sperm to create a child. Same-sex female couples or heterosexual couples might also choose surrogacy if the female partner is unable to carry a child or has other problems with fertility. Sometimes age can prevent couples from conceiving naturally, but the female partner’s eggs might still be usable if transferred to a surrogate. Or, if the woman had her eggs frozen, she might choose to use a surrogate to carry the fertilized eggs for her.

If you are interested in learning more about surrogacy, or if you wish to become a surrogate mother, our staff is here to help. Contact Palm Beach Fertility Center to discuss your options with our team.