What is Surrogacy?

Gestational surrogacy is a procedure where a woman becomes pregnant through IVF with the biological child of another couple that will take custody of the baby after he is born.  Couples experiencing female-factor fertility problems, such as a dysfunctional or missing womb, that can still provide gametes (egg and sperm) for reproduction, sometimes having endured miscarriages in the past, may find it beneficial to have a surrogate mother carry their child.  The couple provides the egg and sperm to the doctor in order to create an embryo through ICSI, and the embryo is implanted into the surrogate mother.  The end result of the procedure is that even though the child was carried in the womb of the surrogate, he has the genes of the intended couple, his biological mother and father.

Traditional surrogacy involves using the surrogate mother’s own eggs to create the embryo, along with the sperm of the father seeking the treatment, with the intention that after the baby is born he will be raised by the father and his wife or partner.

Surrogacy Medical Tourism

Although surrogacy is legal in various parts of the United States, the clinical fees and the compensatory fees to the surrogate make the cost out of reach for many.  Total costs for a compensatory surrogacy can reach $100 000.  This has given way to a new trend where couples seek surrogates abroad, often in India, where clinical fees are considerably less and where many potential surrogates live in relative poverty, so that the fee earned through surrogacy while being relatively small in the West, can mean massively improved housing, clothing and healthcare for her family and educational prospects for her other children in the depressed economy in which she lives.

Surrogacy medical tourism, even with travelling and accommodation costs, can total less than a third of the costs for the same procedure in the West.  In addition, knowing that the surrogacy fee will mean a great improvement in the life of the surrogate mother and her family, makes the experience emotionally satisfying as well as economically smart for many Western couples.

The process

Currently demand for surrogacy is very high, and not all seekers of the treatment are approved to move forward.  After choosing a clinic (see the right side of this page) from which you want to receive treatment, the surrogacy coordinator will likely ask you a list of questions to determine your eligibility, including why you believe you need a surrogate, what ART techniques you have tried before, and other details of your medical history.

Once a surrogate is chosen and prepared with medication and tests, the couple seeking the treatment must travel to the clinic location in order to provide the sperm (and egg if it is to be gestational surrogacy).  The embryo is created using the process of ICSI (Intracytoplasmic sperm injection) where a thin hollow needle is pierced into the cytoplasm of the egg and loaded with a single sperm.  Once fertilization has occurred, and when the newly created embryo is mature (1-5 days later), it is implanted into the surrogate mother with the intention of establishing a successful pregnancy.  If successful, the birth of the baby is followed by the transfer of custody to the intended parents.

You will be kept abreast of all significant developments during the process, including whether the pregnancy was successfully established, and the health of the baby as determined by ultrasound.  Some parents may choose to stay in the vicinity of the clinic in order to share the experience with the surrogate mother.  Others may choose to commute regularly between their home and the clinic throughout the duration of the pregnancy.  The intended parent(s) should be prepared to attend the birth for the subsequent custody transfer of the child.

Success Rates

A general likelihood of success depends on many factors including the quantity, quality and mobility of the used sperm, the health of the egg used (related to age of the woman providing the egg) and other medical factors.  Ideally, Surrogates should have carried children before, and are typically well-screened to ensure maximum success in terms of surrogate-factors.  Your doctor can estimate a likelihood of success for surrogacy treatment based on your medical history and circumstances.