Table of contents
Surrogate (substitute) motherhood is the carrying and birth of a child, which takes place by signing a contract between a surrogate mother (a woman who carries a child after the transfer of a donor embryo) and potential parents, for whom the carrying and birth of a child is not possible due to medical reasons.
Is it possible to use the Surrogacy program simply by choice?
It is not possible to use the Surrogacy program at will or without evidence.
To use this program, the following indications are approved:
- absence of an uterus;
- deformation of the cavity or cervix in case of congenital malformations or as a result of surgical interventions, benign tumors, in which it is impossible to carry a pregnancy;
- structural-morphological or anatomical changes of the endometrium, leading to loss of receptivity, synechiae of the uterine cavity, which are not amenable to treatment;
- severe somatic diseases, in which carrying a pregnancy threatens the future health or life of the woman, but which do not affect the health of the future child;
- unsuccessful repeated attempts at in vitro fertilization (IVF) (4 or more times) with repeated receipt of high-quality embryos, the transfer of which into the uterine cavity did not lead to pregnancy.
Who can be a surrogate mother?
A surrogate mother can be:
- an adult woman with legal capacity, provided she has at least one healthy child of her own
- a married woman can be a surrogate mother only with her husband’s consent
- absence of medical contraindications to carrying a pregnancy
The surrogate mother cannot be an egg donor at the same time, i.e. the surrogate mother is not genetically related to the newborn.
How does the Surrogacy program work?
The Surrogacy program is carried out according to the following algorithm:
- Choosing a surrogate mother.
- Preparation of embryos/cryoembryos.
- Preparation of the surrogate mother’s body for carrying a pregnancy, excluding the possibility of ovulation.
- Embryo transfer into the uterine cavity of the surrogate mother.
- Cryopreservation (preservation) of unused embryos.
- Confirmation of pregnancy 2 weeks after embryo transfer.
- Observation of the surrogate mother’s pregnancy.
- Determination of the method of delivery, the place of delivery, and the method of feeding the newborn together with the doctor who observes the pregnant woman.
- Childbirth can be a partnership between the parents, who have a genetic connection with the child, and the surrogate mother.
Despite the medical, moral, ethical, and legal features of the Surrogacy program, it provides an opportunity to get motherhood for a certain category of women who, at first glance, would seem to have no chance of having their own child.