When deciding on the option of using a surrogate to bear a child, the types of surrogacy available will be an important factor to consider.
The use of surrogates is not a modern infertility treatment, as in fact this practice has been carried out for many years by some of our fore mothers. Before modern medicine was able to diagnose female infertility, a woman who was unable to bear her husband a child, often resorted to providing the maid to her husband, to bear her child. This could be classified as sexual surrogacy, but modern technology has circumvented this practice.
Types of surrogacy
There are of course many options and decisions to be made when deciding on the types of surrogacy required. Here are the many variances to be considered:
will require this form of surrogacy which involves the donation of both partners egg and sperm. Once fertilized, the embryo will be implanted into the surrogate mother. Several attempts at implantation may be required before conception takes place. The infant born from the surrogate will be the biological child of both parents.
Commercial surrogacy is normally entered into with a surrogate mother, who will provide the service for a fee. Typically it may be couples wanting a child and have been unable to do so as a result of infertility. Commercial surrogacy is also on the increase for many other reasons – couples who prefer the option of paying a surrogate to bear their children.
The critical option around the types of surrogacy available is very dependent on the health of both or one of the couple. Preference for the decision may be around genetics, and wanting the infant to carry the DNA of at least one of the partners. Alternatively, the couple may feel that the use of donor sperm and donor egg would be a better choice, so that neither DNA is used thus avoiding straining the relationship in future years.
At ACME Fertility, our goal is to prepare you for the journey that lies ahead. Knowing and understanding the costs, and creating a budget at the beginning of your surrogacy process can help to reduce stress and delays later on.
We are dedicated to helping you start your family through surrogacy affordably. We do so by offering a range of pricing and financing options to benefit you.
In vitro fertilization (IVF) now makes it possible to harvest eggs from the mother, fertilize them with sperm from the father, and place the embryo into the uterus of a gestational surrogate. The surrogate then carries the baby until birth. A gestational surrogate has no genetic ties to the child.
A surrogate mother is a woman who agrees to carry someone else’s baby. She becomes pregnant using some form of assisted reproductive technology, frequently IVF. The surrogate mother carries the baby to term and gives birth, and the baby is released from the hospital to its intended parents.
If your surrogate got pregnant on the first attempt, using an egg donor, your costs would range between $143,380 to $165,380 on average, and based on a singleton pregnancy.
Artificial insemination first made surrogacy possible. A traditional surrogate is a woman who is artificially inseminated with the father’s sperm. She then carries the baby and delivers it for the parents to raise. A traditional surrogate is the baby’s biological mother.
Even though traditional and gestational surrogacy is very different, both are typically just as safe as going through a traditional biological pregnancy. Prior to starting the surrogacy process, the surrogate is first screened in order to determine her overall health. If she is not considered healthy enough to carry the embryo, another surrogate should be chosen. Once ready to proceed, if using gestational surrogacy, the surrogate will be required to take certain medications that will aid her in developing numerous eggs for use in the fertilization process. When the baby is ready for birth, the surrogate will go through the typical process for delivery of the baby. After the baby’s birth, he or she will then go home with the new parents.
One of the key benefits of using an Egg Donor age 30 years or younger is enhancing your chance of success. A 2012 study from the Center for Disease Control on IVF success rates reports that over 56% of transfers using eggs from an egg donor younger than 35 years resulted in a live birth. This is compared to 37% for women aged 35-37, 28% for women 38-40, 16% for women 41-42, and 6% for women 43-44. Women 44 years or more had a 3% chance of achieving a live birth.
Some other important benefits of working with an egg donor include:
Many people choose surrogacy because it allows them to have their own biological child. So, for those intended parents desiring to use their own eggs, or to use the eggs of a family member or friend, there are two key areas where you may save money.
In most cases, this is $15,000-$20,000 in savings. If you find it is important for your child to know the egg donor, having a known egg donor who is a friend or family member will often provide you with an ideal situation.
Now, it is important to note that in these scenarios, you may come across decreased chances of success the older the age of the eggs being used. So, money being saved by not using an egg donor from an agency may be spent in increased attempts at pregnancy.