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Deciding on Surrogacy

Why you choose to use a surrogate is specific to you. You may be infertile and have come to terms with being unable to carry a baby to term in your own uterus. You may have suffered multiple miscarriages and have decided that it would be better to have someone grow your baby for you, rather than to lose another fetus. You may be a gay couple that does not have the option of carrying your own baby. You may be advanced in age and concerned that you or the baby would be under too much physical stress, if you attempted to carry a baby to term in your own uterus.

No matter what the reason is that you ultimately decide that surrogacy is the next logical option for you, it means that you have lots of work ahead of you. After you have decided to choose surrogacy, the first thing that you will want to do is to seek out a therapist that is trained in infertility. It’s important that you are sure that you have put the possibility of carrying your own child behind you and properly mourned this loss, if you are seeking a surrogate. You must also ensure that you are emotionally able to handle the idea of another woman carrying your baby, in her womb.

If you are still motivated to pursue surrogacy after assessment, then you should educate yourself on what surrogacy means. Through advanced reproductive technology (ART), there are few limits as to, what you can do, in order to become a mom or dad. You can find a surrogate that lives in your state, another state or even another time zone, to carry your baby. With a healthy surrogate that’s able to conceive easily through ART, just about anything is possible.

Whether you are heterosexual, homosexual or single, through IVF, a child can be conceived by using any combination of eggs and/or sperm. Because of advanced technology all intended parents have the option of using their own eggs, their partner’s eggs, or donor’s eggs, as well as your sperm, your partner’s sperm or donor sperm. In addition, gay and lesbian couples can create their own embryos, in many different ways so that they have the option of knowing or not knowing who biologically fathered or mothered their child, when he or she is born. The enormous advancement of technology has made parenthood much easier to achieve. Thankfully, technology continues to progress and hopefully, one day, there will be a way to fight or possibly even cure infertility.

Surrogacy may be an amazing technology and a wonderful way to help parents that would otherwise be unable to have a child and realize their dream; but it’s a hard road to travel. When you opt for surrogacy, you are also choosing to allow someone to carry your pregnancy that could possibly become emotionally attached to your baby, as well as both of you to each other. Though this is not the usual course of events, there is never a guarantee to what a surrogate may bring your way.

There are many states where paid surrogacy is either illegal or unenforceable. That means, if you choose to continue and you are not careful about understanding the individual state laws and/or the legalization of your relationship with your surrogate; she may be able to keep your child, which you asked her only to carry for you. Before you make your decision, you will want to review what options are available to you, with a lawyer that specializes in reproductive law.

Though there are some laws in place in most states, surrogacy does not have any nationwide system of standards and procedures. There are agencies that offer the use of their lawyers, for payment, but you should have your own counsel in the event that you need help to either recover your child or a portion of your investment. Even with the possibility of legal difficulties with surrogacy, this alternative can be your best, if not your only option when you are ready to expand your family.