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The Road To Parenthood Through Surrogacy
By Meryl B. Rosenberg, Esq.
Modern technology has made parenting through
surrogacy an option for having a family when you are
unable to have one in the traditional fashion.
Entering the world of surrogacy may seem daunting,
especially when just beginning to embark on the
surrogacy journey. However, surrogacy candidated
should not fear the road they are about to travel;
the surrogacy process is a well-developed pathway to
parenthood. If the intended parents work with
professionals in the field and follow the steps put
in place by those professionals, the journey to
parenthood through surrogacy will be a safe and
successful one!
The surrogacy process consists of a number of steps.
There are “programs” that are able to assist you in
locating a surrogate, whether traditional or
gestational, seeing you through the screening
process, the contracting phase, a pregnancy and
finalization of any required court process. The
first decision you have to make is whether this
process is the right thing for you. Professionals in
the field should be able to assist you in making
this important decision.
Once you have selected the agency, program or
attorney you want to work with, work closely with
them as a team of necessary professionals and with
you toward realizing your dream; they will be your
guide for the rest of your journey.
You should now be ready to be matched with a
surrogate. The surrogate is a woman who will be eith
a gestational carrier, meaning she will carry your
embryo or an embryo created from the genetic
material of an egg donor and the male partner
through the in-vitro fertilization (IVF) process, or
she will be a traditional surrogate, who will be
artificially inseminated.
Note that with a traditional surrogate, the
surrogate is artificially inseminated with the sperm
of the intended/natural father. In some states the
names of intended/natural father and intended/mother
are entered on the original birth certificate. Other
states require the intended mother, or co-parent, to
participate in a step-parent adoption to enable
her/his name to be entered on the birth certificate.
With a gestational carrier, ovum or eggs and sperm
of the “couple” are combined to create embryos that
are implanted into the uterus of the carrier through
the IVF process. In some cases, this involves the
use of ovum or eggs from a donor. In either case,
names of the intended/natural father and
intended/natural mother or co-parent are entered on
the original birth certificate by court order in
many states; although, some still require a
step-parent adoption.
The process of finding a surrogate may take between
four and eight months; every case is different, and
is somewhat dependent upon your personal
considerations, as well as availability of the right
match for you. As you can imagine, each surrogacy
arrangement, as well as considerations in choosing a
surrogate, is as different as the people involved.
After selecting a surrogate, the next step will be
to have a medical and a psychological evaluation
performed on the surrogate (if not done prior to the
match). The program you are working with should have
a close association with psychological specialists,
as well as OB/GYNs and/or reproductive
endocrinologists with whom they work in order to
proceed with the process.
If the medical and psychological evaluations inform
you that the surrogate is indeed a good surrogate
candidate, a surrogacy agreement will then be
prepared. When the surrogacy agreement is signed,
you are ready to move on to the “medical” phase of
the surrogacy process. The medical phase will either
consist of embryo transfer or artificial
insemination, depending upon the type of surrogacy
arrangement that is involved.
With embryo transfer, the surrogate’s cycle will be
synchronized with the “egg donor’s” cycle using
medication. When the physician deems the time right,
eggs will be retrieved, they will be fertilized
in-vitro (in a laboratory), and then the resulting
embryos will be transferred into the surrogate’s
uterus. An embryo transfer may also be performed
using frozen embryos. With artificial insemination,
the surrogate will use an ovulation predictor test
to determine the best time for insemination. When
the surrogate is ovulating, she will be artificially
inseminated with the donor’s sperm.
After a successful conception, either by artificial
insemination or by embryo transfer, and a successful
pregnancy, any child born as a result of the
surrogacy becomes the couple’s sole responsibility
at birth and after release from the hospital. Many
times prior to birth, and sometimes after birth, you
will continue with any necessary court proceedings
to change the birth certificate, to complete a
step-parent adoption, or to have an original birth
certificate issued, whichever is applicable in your
case. Your program will guide you in the applicable
process to ensure your names are ultimately on the
birth certificate of your child.
Remember, throughout what may seem like a lengthy
process, when deciding to proceed with a surrogacy
arrangement, you are embarking on an incredible
journey toward parenthood.
Meryl B. Rosenberg, Esq. is the director of a
comprehensive program specializing in surrogacy, egg
donation and adoption at Parenting Options. She has
been in the field of reproductive technology and
adoption for nearly twelve years, has assisted
hundreds of people build their families through
these pathways, and is an active participant in
furthering the education, development and expansion
of the field of reproductive law. She may be
contacted through Parenting Options at 301-217-0074.
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