Do you really need to opt for surrogacy? It is a million dollar question as lots of socio-economical factors are involved while ultimately deciding for it. But for an individual longing for parenthood, nothing can be better than choosing a surrogacy service under given conditions conforming to the approved regulations and formalities. Statistics reveal that about millions of women across the world are affected by infertility due to varied reasons.

Necessity finds alternate routes

After the birth of first IVF baby, the chance that an infertile couple could have babies through clinical support came under the limelight. The IVF techniques underwent further advancement and the successful implementation of surrogacy and embryo donation that culminated in the birth of a baby turned out to be a possible third party reproductive option for a couple suffering from the stigma of childlessness.

Developments in IVF and ICSI have made it possible for infertile couples to have healthy embryos cultured in a clinical environment and transfer them to the third party uterus in time. Now, the availability of quality third party uterus is crucial that provides the right shelter for the embryo to grow into a fetus. Third party uterus is lent by the surrogate mother. If she doesn’t come in the picture, the whole effort will turn fruitless.

Surrogacy – When it is absolute necessity

Pregnancy related disorder                                                              

Surrogacy seemed to be the only option available for the couples who show the symptoms of pregnancy related disorders since the female partner does not have a healthy and functional uterus. In many cases, uterine problems, hormonal imbalance or producing eggs with very low fertilization potential compel a woman to look for the surrogacy option. Even if the eggs produced are good in quality, pregnancy post fertilization may pose serious health risk to the life of the mother. In that case, the woman may use her eggs for IVF and opt for a surrogacy service.

Medication

Even if everything goes fine, there may be certain medications that a woman might be taking to combat a chronic ailment which may interfere with the pregnancy leading to miscarriage or some high risk problems. The woman should consider surrogacy as per her doctor’s advice.

Same sex couple or single parent

Again with the approval of parenthood status for same sex or single parent in some countries, surrogacy is the only favorable option of having a child provided it is accessed abiding with the laws of the land. A gay male couple cannot have their own child with their own sperms unless supported by a third party egg donor and surrogate.

Age

Career and financial planning often force women to go for late parenthood but that becomes too late as the biological clock ticks reducing the fertility potential with each passing year.  Women being oblivious of this hard truth go through a tough time when they truly long for a child. In such cases, one may need to seek the third party surrogacy service.

Infertility beyond reasons

Younger couples may also face surprising infertility issues in spite of living a healthy life where natural fertilization becomes almost impossible. Those couples then opt for IVF. If 2/3 IVF attempts do not result in success, then one can opt for surrogacy.

Surrogacy – Its types and implementation

Surrogacy is classified into two types, the conventional surrogacy and gestational surrogacy. In the former case, both the womb and the eggs are lent by the surrogate mother. The sperms are lent by the biological father. Here, the surrogate mother is the biological mother of the baby as well.

In gestational surrogacy, the male gametes come from the biological father and the female gametes from the biological mother. The fusion and fertilization process takes place in a clinical laboratory through highly technical methods of IVF and ICSI. The surrogate mother, however, lends her uterus to carry the fertilized embryo that develops into a fetus. She nurtures the fetus in her womb providing the necessary nutrition ultimately giving birth to a healthy baby. The surrogate mothers need to be at the peak of their health. The priceless contribution by the surrogate mother cannot be measured by monetary compensation.

Legal factor

The most important fact is that surrogacy service is not easily accessible in every country. Paid surrogacy service is strictly provided in some countries though surrogacy out of altruistic reasons is allowed. The party seeking surrogacy service has to conform strictly to the laws and regulations to avoid any legal prosecution and inheritance issues.