Having kids via surrogacy is so expensive that it sounds logical that going through a single journey with twins is less expensive than two singleton journeys. We’re also attracted by the somewhat higher success rate (pregnancy rate) per cycle for two versus one embryo. You also think: "what’s the big deal? Most twins do well anyway”, but what is the reality of IVF? Some background: IVF has been around for decades now and up to 10-15 years ago or so, it was standard to transfer multiple embryos (more than two) because the success rate was dismal, like 10-20 percent pregnancies per transfer. Keep in mind that most patients having IVF were (and are still) couples typically in mid to late 30's, who have been trying to get pregnant for a while. It makes a huge difference because their success rate are far lower than for IVF surrogacy where egg donors are young, men have no sperm issues and GC's are super healthy. Since a few years, IVF got much better, success rates went up and when used with egg donation, the pregnancy rates per transfer are well above 60% per transfer. Recognizing that there were WAY too many triplets, and quads, doctors stopped the practice of transferring 3, 4 and more embryos, unless the embryos are of dismal quality. Fortunately for everyone, parents, kids (and their Maternal-fetal Medicine specialists), the rate of high order multiple went down. Many of us think that while twins are far less risky than triplets, they are still quite riskier than singletons. Why? Because the human uterus is designed for one baby.
Since IVF has improved so much, many IVF programs push for single embryo transfer in the surrogacy process. Many countries, recognizing that population wellbeing (less sickness) is more important that personal freedom forbid the transfer of more than one healthy embryo (like high quality 5-day blastocyst). More info about surrogacy and IVF: http://americanpregnancy.org/infertility/in-vitro-fertilization/ https://mysurrogatemom.com/how-many-embryos-should-i-transfer-surrogacy-questions/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_vitro_fertilisation People find everything online, why not a surrogate mom? For sure you can do it! However finding the right surrogate is one of the most important decisions intended parents will make in the entire surrogacy process and you must know that looking for a surrogate online can have both positive and negative aspects. Besides, you will be likely facing higher risks going independent than if you use a surrogacy agency. What do you have to check when looking for a surrogate mother online? When you decide to go Indy and to find surrogate mother on your own, you are expose to some issues. That is the reason why people usually rely on a surrogacy agency or specialist. Agencies are experts in surrogacy planning, assessment of prospective surrogates and matching, they know what and how evaluate a surrogate. In general, people don’t know how to assess a gestational surrogate as they are not familiar with the process, so it’s quite likely that they would miss or underestimate some important criteria during the surrogate’s assessment. If you choose to go online to find your surrogate you will take care of the steps process, so you need to be careful and keep in mind the following checklist during the matching phase. Find a good lawyer to learn more about the legal requirements in your state/province; he /she will help you to complete the legal paperwork needed in this complex process. Look for a reputable fertility clinic to make the necessary medical procedures. When choosing the best clinic for your needs, you need to consider the following things: services offered, location, waiting time, fertility clinic success rates, fertility professional team, clinic accreditations, embryo transfer policy and cost. You must ensure your surrogate pass a complete medical screener (partner/spouse/husband too) to verify she is in good physical and medical condition. It’s important she has a health Body Mass Index (BMI). A BMI of under 20 or a BMI of over 30 can affect the success of the IVF treatment and poses higher risk factors during the pregnancy, mainly because the gestational carrier is likely to gain even more weight while she is pregnant, however, note that in some instances, a higher BMI is acceptable when other factors such as lifestyle, reproductive history and medical records are considered. Body Mass Calculator A Surrogate must be between the ages of 21-40 (if older check with the requirements of your fertility clinic before matching)
Ensure she had at least one previous full term pregnancy and that she is raising the child. Check if she didn’t pass any difficulties while she was pregnant or during the delivery. Ask for a complete psychological assessment with a fertility counselor or psychologist. If possible send a licensed social worker to her home. The ideal situation is when the surrogate mother lives in a non-smoking home, with a stable lifestyle and emotional support from her family and friends. It’s vital to have the whole family on board, not just the mother. This is something people often underestimate when finding surrogate online. Ask for her criminal background check. Make sure the surrogate is a permanent resident of surrogate friendly states in United States or surrogate friendly provinces in Canada and she has no idea to change her residence during the pregnancy. Be very careful also about what are her motivation to be a surrogate mother. It can happen that a woman is proposing to be a surrogate online to get a higher reimbursement than what she would get working with an agency. Ideally, money should not be the primary motivation for a surrogate, and in this case, the potential surrogate would be more motivated by financial reasons than by the joy of pregnancy. Try to find out if your surrogate is financially comfortable and have sufficient income and a limited debt. Don’t be afraid, find surrogate online also can have positive things! In some cases, the overall cost of your surrogacy journey will be lower as you don’t have to pay the agency fees. Medical/psychological and legal specialist may be the only surrogacy professionals you will need. You are not limited to look for a surrogate in the state/province where you live. If your state/province is not surrogacy friendly you can use internet to find a gestational carrier who lives in a surrogacy friendly one. Probably, you will have a closer contact the surrogate as no surrogacy professional will be involved in your relationship (also depending on the reasons of your surrogate to become a surrogate mother) Whether you choose to find surrogate online or with a surrogacy agency, finding a potential surrogate mother can be challenging at times. This is why you need to be aware of the risk you are facing and be prepare for all of them! Find more info in this video |
AuthorBuilding modern families through surrogacy can be a challenging journey Archives
July 2020
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