Surrogacy gives the opportunity for a new meaning to life of childless couples. For surrogacy is where a woman agrees to bear the child for a couple in her womb, i.e. carries through pregnancy and gives birth to their child. Childless couples opt for surrogacy when the woman is unable to undergo pregnancy due to medical challenges, pregnancy risks that may harm the mother’s health or in cases of same sex couples.

How Does Surrogacy Work?

There are two types of surrogacy; traditional surrogacy and gestational surrogacy.

• Traditional surrogacy:

It involves inseminating the surrogate mother with the biological father’s sperm. Here the surrogate mother shares a genetic connection with the baby she carries. In other words, she is genetically related to the child.

• Gestational surrogacy:

It uses in vitro fertilization (IVF) to create an embryo. The embryo is then placed inside the surrogate mother’s uterus. Eggs and sperm of the couple wanting the child are fertilized in laboratory and then put inside surrogate mother’s uterus. The surrogate mother then carries the child and gives birth to it but is not genetically related to it.

Traditional surrogacy is rare these days; as couples want their child to have their genes. Hence gestational surrogacy is more common. Here, the eggs are retrieved from mother and are fertilized in a laboratory with the father’s sperm to create an embryo. This embryo is then allowed to develop for 4-5 days and then transferred to the surrogate mother’s womb.  

It is important that the surrogate should be healthy and capable of bearing a healthy child and should take proper care of herself and the child. Also it is advisable that the to-be parents and surrogate mother are in touch and that the surrogate is taken care of. Like the couple should ensure that the surrogate is provided with good food and all the facilities needed by a to-be mother.