It’s not my Baby! Gestational Surrogacy vs Traditional Surrogacy

May 24, 2017

It’s not your baby?! This is the question that is most frequently asked of surrogates when they are pregnant with someone else’s baby. Well, whose baby is it? There are two types of surrogacy – gestational surrogacy and traditional surrogacy.

Gestational surrogacy:

Gestational surrogacy is when the surrogate becomes pregnant through an in vitro fertilization process with an embryo that was created using the sperm and ova of the Intended Parents or through an egg and/or sperm donor. The surrogate has no genetic relationship to the baby. From a legal perspective, this is the safest type of surrogacy since the surrogate is in no way related to the baby. She is simply “gestating” the fetus for the Intended Parents.

Traditional surrogacy:

In traditional surrogacy, the surrogate uses her own genetic material to become pregnant either through artificial insemination (AI), through intra-uterine insemination (IUI), or through in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Traditional surrogacy is fraught with legal issues since the baby is legally the surrogate’s child. Hope Surrogacy does not allow the practice of traditional surrogacy.

A baby through surrogacy at Hope Surrogacy:

People may also ask “how can a surrogate ‘give up’ the baby?” The baby is not hers to “give up”. The surrogate enters into a legal contract that does not allow her to “keep the baby”. Surrogates in the Hope Surrogacy’s program are well vetted long before they become pregnant.

For a surrogate, it is important that she understands what is expected of her when she enters into a surrogacy arrangement. Surrogacy is not just about being pregnant for somebody else. Surrogacy is about understanding the legal, medical, and financial obligations involved in a surrogacy matter. And most importantly, knowing what to expect from a mental health perspective. In Hope Surrogacy’s program, we require a 4 to 5-hour psychological evaluation along with a 2 to 3-hour consult in our office so the surrogate can feel well prepared for her surrogacy journey. A surrogate’s successful journey is about being well informed, feeling safe, and being well cared for. It’s not about “keeping the baby”

If you think you might be interested in being a surrogate or know of someone who might consider being a surrogate, please contact Hope Surrogacy today. We can explain in more detail about the wonderful and amazing process that is involved in a surrogacy journey. Grow with us!