Surrogacy is a contract where a woman agrees to carry a pregnancy and
deliver the baby on behalf of another couple or person, who will become
the child’s parent(s) after birth.
The ability to remove eggs from a woman and fertilize them outside her
body, and subsequently place the fertilized eggs back into the woman
opened up a world of opportunity for women with challenges carrying their
pregnancies for a variety of reasons. They simply get help to carry the
pregnancy and nurture it.
TYPES OF SURROGACY
I. Traditional Surrogacy
In this procedure, the surrogate's egg is fertilized by the intended father's or
a donor’s sperm.
The surrogate can get pregnant through sex with the intended father or by
artificial insemination. In many cases, the intended father's sperm is used
in the insemination resulting in a child who is genetically related to both the
intended father and the surrogate.
If a donor’s semen is used, the child born will not have any genetic
relationship with his/her parents.
It was a common practice before the evolution of IVF and was practiced in
the bible. It is not commonly practiced anymore.
COUPLES WHO BENEFIT FROM SURROGACY
It is beneficial for:
▪ For couples who want a genetic linkage with the baby and plan to use a
relative.
▪ If the intended parents are a single male or a couple where the woman is
not capable of using her eggs, traditional surrogacy may give them the
the genetic link they desire.
▪ For couples who cannot find an egg donor of their choice or want a donor
they know.
▪ For couples who want to reduce the cost of their surrogacy.
II. Gestational Surrogacy
Here, the parents create an embryo using their egg and sperm or using a
donated egg or sperm and the surrogate agrees to have the embryo
implanted in her uterus. Her womb is simply borrowed to nurture the
embryo and after delivery, the baby is reunited with the couple who will be
the rearing parents.
COUPLES WHO BENEFIT FROM SURROGACY
It is beneficial by:
▪ Allowing mothers to have a genetic linkage with their babies
▪ Allowing couples who have frozen embryos from previous IVF treatments
could use them in gestational surrogacy.
It is important to note that the baby delivered has the genetic components
of the parents from whom the egg and sperm were taken.
The surrogacy program involves carrying out the IVF procedure on the
couple and then transferring the embryo to the surrogate after preparing
the uterine lining of the surrogate to receive the embryo. The surrogate
undergoes several tests before being used to carry the embryo. Couples
could choose their surrogate of choice or the clinic could arrange to make
one available. The process of getting a surrogate involves legal
documentation to prevent the surrogate from absconding with the child.
COUPLES WHO BENEFIT FROM SURROGACY
Women with no uterus
Cases of recurrent IVF failure
Recurrent miscarriage
Severe heart and kidney disease in a woman
SURROGACY COMES WITH ITS CHALLENGES
Couples who plan to have babies through surrogacy need a lot of
counseling and support all through. It is:
More expensive than traditional IVF
There could be emotional turmoil knowing someone else is carrying
your baby
In our environment, people ascribe the pregnancy to the one who
carries it
The surrogate may bond to the baby and decide not to hand over the
baby after delivery.
Surrogacy has a lot of ethical questions with some religious groups viewing
it as immoral and a means of exploiting poor women for commercial
purposes.
Whatever the case, surrogacy provides a means of childbearing for
thousands of couples hoping to commence their reproductive journey.
