The advantage of surrogacy
When infertility or the inability to become pregnant through natural or artificial means is preventing a couple from bearing a child, surrogacy is an option they can pursue to make this wish come true.
Types of Surrogacy
First of all, the surrogacy process actually involves one of two methods: Traditional Surrogacy or Gestational Surrogacy. Gestational surrogacy treats the surrogate mother as more of a carrier for the fertilized egg. She is, in essence, an incubator used to develop the inseminated egg which has already been fertilized. In this method, intended parents will use the egg of the mother and sperm from the father. In cases where the intended mother is infertile, does not have functioning ovaries or possesses a genetically inheritable disease, the couple may choose to use a donor egg and fertilize it with the father's sperm before implantation into the surrogate.
The traditional surrogacy method requires the surrogate mother to use her own eggs which are then fertilized with the sperm sample of the intended father during ovulation.
In both cases, the surrogate mother must undergo an artificial insemination procedure. For a traditional surrogacy the carrier undergoes an IUI or intrauterine insemination procedure, whereas in a gestational surrogacy the process is known as in vitro fertilization or IVF. The main difference between traditional and gestational surrogacy is the the surrogate mother does not contribute any genetic material to the embryo.
Success Rates
The natural benefit of utilizing a surrogate mother is the success rate associated with the fertilization process. Often, those seeking the help of a gestational surrogate are women who have experienced difficulty in conceiving due to some complication. Surrogacy gives the intended parents a more successful route to becoming "pregnant." According to the 2009 statistics published by Surrogacy911.com, the average success rate for a live birth rate in a gestational surrogacy is between 20 and 30 percent per cycle, while the live birth rate for a traditional surrogacy is between 5 and 15 percent per cycle.
Health Benefits
For those intended mothers who choose a traditional surrogacy because of an inheritable genetic illness they carry, surrogacy gives the couple an opportunity to have a partially biological and healthier child. The health benefits can also be advantageous to an intended mother who has any medical issues such as diabetes or kidney disease, in which a full-term pregnancy could prove life-threatening for her and the unborn child.
Biologically Yours
For many couples, they simply wish to have a child that is biologically related to one or both of them. When they have exhausted all fertility means, and would prefer not to consider adopting, surrogacy remains as one of the last options available to make this desire a possibility. Also, in the event that the couple decides to pursue surrogacy for a second or third time, this gives them the opportunity to have children that would be biologically related to them as well as to their siblings.
Involvement in the Pregnancy
Another advantage of surrogacy is the level of involvement that the intended parents can have during the pregnancy and birth of their child. The exact degree of involvement is a sensitive factor of the pregnancy that should be discussed with the intended surrogate prior to commencing the insemination process. Overall, in contrast to the type of relationship permitted in a closed adoption, the parents can usually establish a visitation schedule, and attend prenatal appointments with their surrogate. This type of relationship allows all parties involved to enjoy the journey towards parenthood- together.