What is Surrogacy?
The definition is fairly simple when a couple wants a baby but is unable to have a child because either or both partners are medically unfit to conceive, another woman is artificially inseminated with the sperm of the father. She then carries the child full term and delivers it for the couple. In such a case, the surrogate mother is the biological mother of the child. In instances when the father’s sperm cannot be used, donor sperm can also be used. This is traditional surrogacy. There is also gestational surrogacy, wherein eggs from the mother are fertilized with the father’s/donor’s sperm and then the embryo is placed into the uterus of the surrogate, who carries the child to term and delivers it. In this case, the biological mother is still the woman whose eggs are used, while the surrogate is called the birth mother.
What should be kept in mind while selecting a Surrogate?
Couples opt for surrogacy when traditional means of conceiving a child have failed, this also includes in-vitro fertilization, or it is dangerous for the couple to get pregnant and give birth. The following medical conditions usually necessitate surrogacy: It is important to make sure the surrogate mother is healthy and ideally between 21 and 40 years old.
- Other than general fitness levels such as blood pressure, sugar levels, thyroid, etc., one should check for the mental health of the surrogate.
- It is also advisable that the surrogate should have already given birth to one healthy baby before.
