Science has always proved to be a boon for mankind and one such blessing is Surrogacy. Continuous progress in science is helping a lot of couples wishing to be parents to fulfil their dream. Couples or individuals unable to conceive or carry a child always crave for the happiness of being a parent. Be it single men desiring to become a father or couples who face medical issues, the perfect solution for them is surrogacy. In this article let’s discuss this method of childbirth.

What is Surrogate Pregnancy?

Earlier, we discussed how surrogacy is helping mankind, now let’s find out what is surrogate pregnancy? Surrogate pregnancy or Surrogacy is a method where the intended parents find a female who will be carrying their baby until birth, called a surrogate mother. Intended parents with any medical problem often use this method to complete their family. It is a part of Artificial Reproductive Technology (ART).

Types of surrogacy :

There are various approaches to surrogacy :

1. Traditional or Natural Surrogacy:

In this kind of surrogacy, the wannabe father’s sperm is injected (inseminated artificially through Intrauterine Insemination) into the surrogate mother. Natural surrogacy uses the surrogate mother’s uterus and eggs. This is the basic procedure of how a Traditional Surrogacy occurs. The child born from this kind of surrogacy is a biological child of the father and the surrogate mother. The intended mother has no biological claim over the child until the surrogate mother withdraws all her parental claims. This method was popular for a long time until the Gestational method was established.

2. Gestational Surrogacy:

This type of surrogacy does not involve surrogate mother’s eggs. In this, the embryo is either donated or cultivated artificially using the intended parents’ gametes and implanted in the surrogate mother’s uterus. The surrogate mother is then required to care for the child until delivery. In this type of surrogacy, the intended parents are the biological parents of the child and the intended mother has her rights reserved. Although the surrogate mother is still required to withdraw her parental rights.

From an economic point of view, Surrogacy can be classified in two types :

Altruistic Surrogacy:

In this type of surrogacy, the surrogate mother does not receive any financial benefits. Although the Intended parents are bound to provide with all the allowable expenses including medical bills and other prenatal care expenses.

Commercial Surrogacy:

In this type of surrogacy, the surrogate mother is paid a specific amount of money as a fee other than the allowable expenses. This type of surrogacy is banned in India although certain jurisdictions still consider this type of surrogacy legal.

What are the advantages of Surrogacy:

Now that we have discussed what is surrogate pregnancy let’s find out what are the various advantages of surrogacy. There can be various situations in life that can stop you from becoming a parent, be it medical, social, emotional or economical, you might lose the chance of being a father or mother, but still, there are many couples who have been benefited from the surrogacy procedure. Let’s list out some of the situations that can be benefitted using surrogacy techniques.

If the mother’s medical conditions make pregnancy and birth fatal for her, surrogacy can be the perfect solution for this problem. By taking the help of a surrogate mother, you can allow your child to grow inside her womb. This will not only keep you safe but will allow a healthy birth of your baby, usually through normal delivery. If your medical diagnosis shows that you might be one of the few in the world who is born without a uterus, this can withhold all your dreams of becoming a mother. But Surrogacy can turn out to be very beneficial here. You can seek the help of a surrogate mother allowing you to become a parent. If you have been suffering from any Uterine disorder and had to undergo uterus removal surgery (hysterectomy), don’t lose your hopes. There are many types of surrogacy that can help you become a perfect parent you have always dreamed of. If you have had multiple abortions due to any medical or emotional reasons, your uterus might be considered hostile for implantation. Having a child on your own can lead to several health issues, both for you and the baby. The chances of miscarriage in such cases are also higher. Therefore the wise decision here is to take the help of a surrogate mother to have a child. If the medical diagnosis considers your uterus to be abnormal or unusual in shape, it is medically advised not to have a baby as it can cause abnormal development. Consider various types of surrogacy to help you become a parent. If you have been undergoing continuous fertility treatments like IVF, Artificial Insemination or ART and are still unable to conceive a child; you can also opt for different types of surrogacy. If you have a gene defect that has been running for a long time in your family or you are suffering from a health condition that might pass on to your child, you might abandon the thought of becoming a parent. But do not lose hope as there are various Surrogacy techniques that can help you fulfil your dream of becoming a parent

As discussed above about the advantages of surrogacy, it can prove to be very beneficial for intended parents unable to conceive a child due to various reasons. Now let’s discuss certain possibilities where Surrogacy can prove helpful for single parents.

You have always dreamed of becoming a parent but are unable to find the right partner. You have the best opportunity with Surrogacy as it can help you become a parent. And to be honest, even if you have been living a single, independent life all these years, there comes a time when you want to feel ready for parenthood, want to be loved unconditionally by a little soul, a child who knows no one in this wide world other than you. Who wouldn’t want to feel this way, who wouldn’t want to be loved this way? If you can relate, surrogacy is the perfect opportunity for you to achieve that dream

Although surrogacy has various advantages and can turn out to be the answer to most of the infertility problems, there are still certain risks associated with it. Let’s find out more about it

What are the disadvantages of surrogacy:

Given below are certain disadvantages of surrogacy:

Surrogacy involves complex medical and legal procedures. This can lead to a lot of expense and complications for the intended parents. There are very few legit surrogacy clinics that not only provide help but also ensure success. For a surrogate mother, there are various difficulties associated with surrogacy such as diet management, pregnancy, and labour.

Now that we know all the advantages and disadvantages of surrogacy, let’s breakdown the legal procedure step by step to find out more about what is the procedure of surrogacy :

Legal procedure of surrogacy

The laws and regulations regarding surrogacy vary all around the world. Many countries do not have any laws regarding surrogacy while some countries ban surrogacy entirely. Some countries like India, allow Altruistic surrogacy but have banned commercial surrogacy. International surrogacy is mostly banned all over the world.

Now, let’s discuss about the legality of surrogacy in India :

The legal aspects regarding surrogacy are complicated, distinctive and majorly unsettled. Recently, in the 2019 bill, the Government of India has completely banned commercial surrogacy even for Indian citizens. To go under the surrogacy process, you (for couples) are required to be at least married for 5 years and can only choose a surrogate that is related to you. The surrogate thus chosen should be married and have her own child to be considered as a potential surrogate mother. In a large number of countries around the world, the surrogate mother is considered the Child’s legal mother. However, in India, the Intended Parents are considered as the legal parents of the child considering the fact that the surrogate mother is legally bound in a contract to withdraw all the parental rights from the child.

Once the surrogate mother and intended parents have decided to proceed forward with the situation, they are required to make it official by drafting a legal contract. Both the surrogate mother and the intended parents are required to have their own lawyer to make sure that their interests are constituted and protected legally. Once both parties agree to the terms and conditions of the legal contract, lawyers are required to analyze and approve it. After that, all the contract documents are signed and sealed off so that the parents and the surrogate mother can proceed further with the medical procedure.

How does surrogacy work?

Surrogacy is basically a simple procedure where you are required to go along with the complete procedure step by step to finally become a parent that you have been aspiring for long enough. But, it is not that easy as it seems, surrogacy becomes complex when legal procedures are involved. Let’s discuss one by one, what are the steps in the complete procedure:

To begin with, you are required to find a female willing to become a surrogate mother. They can be found either by searching various websites related to surrogacy or by hiring an agency to look after the process. Now, independent surrogate mothers will charge a comparatively lesser amount than the agency, but there is no legal boundation for the surrogate here. Therefore, an agency that can help you throughout the procedure is recommended. Next, you need to find a lawyer that will legalize your contract, either with the agency or the independent surrogate mother. After signing all the legal documentation, the medical procedure will begin. Now, for the medical procedure, you need to find out a fertility clinic or hospital, where you will then be explained both types of surrogacies in detail. After deciding whether to go forward with Traditional or Gestational surrogacy, you will be medically prepared for the same. This can take days to complete as it is a highly precise procedure. The intended mother will be provided with medication that will help her in developing the eggs that would later go under an egg retrieval procedure. The retrieved eggs will then be fertilized with the intended father’s sperm in a laboratory to create an embryo. The embryo will then be implanted in the surrogate mother’s uterus. The surrogate is required to go through various fertility treatments before the embryo will be implanted. After the procedure is completed and a healthy pregnancy is confirmed by listening to the baby’s heartbeat, the surrogate will start to receive her monthly expenses and allowances. She will also begin to receive prenatal care, which will continue throughout the pregnancy.

At the completion of the surrogacy procedure, the birth of the baby becomes a life-changing moment for both the surrogate mother and the intended parents. The intended parents are mostly present at the hospital with the surrogate to celebrate this event.

After the delivery of the baby, the surrogate is discharged from the hospital, the intended parents and surrogate can all return home, parents along with their newborn baby and the surrogate with the satisfaction of providing a selfless gift of parenthood to someone willing to have a child.

How much does surrogacy cost?

Depending on the legal procedure and medication, the surrogacy process in India can cost around 8 lacs to 10 lacs. However, this amount can increase or decrease depending on the fact that, every clinic and hospital charges differently for the complete medical procedure. Surrogacy may be costly, but having a genetically related child is priceless. To those parents, who have been wishing to become parents for years, money is often a secondary thing. All they wish is to have a child, whom they can love with all their hearts.

Everyone has different feelings about surrogacy, for some people it is a work of God. While for others, it is an act of female exploitation. But for those who have actually been a part of the process like the intended parents, surrogacy provides a chance to finally complete their family and fulfil their dream of becoming a parent. And for surrogates, it provides a chance to selflessly provide the gift of a child to a family who has been wanting it for years. For both of them, surrogacy is an amazing experience and an extraordinary journey unlike any other.

To sum up, surrogacy has been helping couples for so many years, it can be considered as one of the greatest discoveries in the field of Infertility. It has allowed parents who have lost all hopes, to become parents.