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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 candidates 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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