Surrogacy is something that offers tremendous potential to millions of people. It’s often the only real way to finally have a child for couples that have struggled with infertility or with pregnancy, and it can be the best way to finally have the child of your dreams.
But there are also plenty of misconceptions and things that are not fully understood regarding surrogacy. Getting the truth is important and can ensure that you are able to finally able to have a child in the way that you intended. Breaking through the myths and the misconceptions is an important step on the way to successful surrogacy.
The Methods Of Artificial Insemination
Generally, the way that artificial insemination is completed will depend upon the specific fertility or pregnancy issue that a couple is managing. In most cases it is a question of where the fertility problem lies.
Here’s a look at the main steps for artificial insemination for the surrogate mother.
- If the intended mother is infertile, sperm from the intended father is collected and combined with a donor egg. The embryo can then be implanted into the womb of the gestational mother.
- Another option is to use the sperm from the intended father and implant it directly into the gestational mother during ovulation, using her own eggs to allow the pregnancy to occur.
- If the father is infertile as well as the mother, donor sperm can be combined with a donor egg. The resulting embryo is then placed into the womb of the mother.
- If both parents are fertile but other issues exist such as a history of pregnancy related health problems or a medical condition that makes pregnancy very risk, both their sperm and eggs can be harvested. Then, the eggs are fertilized in the lab to create a viable embryo. That embryo is then implanted into the surrogate mother.
These are the basic options for artificial insemination. The specifics and the overall cost may vary slightly from facility to facility and case to case, but for the most part this provides a clear breakdown of the different ways that the surrogacy may be started. However, there is more to the overall process as well.
The Initial Steps
The breakdown above of artificial insemination for the surrogate mother is actually not really the very first step involved in surrogacy. There are additional things that must take place as well. Here’s a look at some of the main things that will come before and that may even come during the process to ensure that surrogacy goes the way it is intended to.
- The first step is undergoing tests to determine just what the fertility issue is caused by. Medical doctors can perform this to ensure you have a clear understanding of what is going on, which in turn allows the surrogacy clinic to know what steps they should take.
- Your initial meeting with the surrogacy clinic allows you to tell them what is going on and develop a plan. Additionally, you’ll have to go through the legal process to protect your rights as well as the rights of the surrogate mother. This must be done to ensure that the surrogacy process can go forward without problems.
- Everyone involved will undergo some basic medical tests. Surrogates in particular are screened carefully and must meet all standards set forth by the agency in order to even be considered for surrogacy.
- Once all of the steps above are taken, the next step is for all donor eggs or sperm to be collected and stored. These materials are placed into a cold storage unit and held until the surrogate is chosen and ready for artificial insemination.
- Finally, after all papers are signed and the process is ready to move forward, the artificial insemination process occurs.
Artificial insemination is done in a lab and medical setting. Depending on the type of process used, either the eggs are fertilized and grown into an embryo or the sperm is placed into the gestational mother’s body where her own eggs are fertilized.
What Happens Next?
Once that pregnancy is confirmed, there is very little for the intended parents to do. They may be able to check in periodically on the health and well being of the gestational mother, but for the most part they do little other than wait for their child to be born.
The gestational mother will carry the child to term and abide by all rules of the agency according to the legal documents she signed. She’ll need to undergo regular checkups, exams, and medical care to ensure the baby is born fully health. Once it is, the child becomes the child of the intended parents and they are free to take it home.
Artificial insemination is just one phase on the journey to surrogate parenthood, but it’s obviously the most important. Once you understand its basics, the rest should fall into place.