Is It a Good Time to Do Surrogacy?
Just a few centuries ago, the most dreadful thing for a couple was their inability to experience the happiness of parenthood. Chronicle diseases, age, physical or emotional traumas all impacted the possibility of having an heir and almost imposed a death sentence to the bloodline. Today, scientific breakthroughs put an end to this frightful situation.
People facing infertility or genetic issues, same-sex couples, single men, and women have a chance to become happy parents even when they have no opportunity to carry and deliver a baby naturally.
Guarantee Surrogacy helps a lot of families see the light at the end of the tunnel. It ensures a child is blood-related to their parents even though their mother was unable to conceive them. Though surrogacy is a bit less complicated than adoption, it’s still a long and emotionally challenging process. Therefore, experts often advise asking for agency help rather than going through this all alone.
Whether you’ve chosen to partner with a clinic or to do it on your own, your first stop on this road should be asking yourself: “Is it a good time for surrogacy?” Take your time and think through every aspect of the journey you’re about to start. It will change your life once and for all. To help you with this eminent decision, we’ve put together three simple questions with not-so-simple answers. Are you ready to start?
Question 1: How Can I Prepare for a Surrogacy Baby?
Once you’ve decided to hit a surrogacy road, the first questions in your mind would probably be: “O.K., what’s next?” With the help of our experts, we’ve compiled a checklist for a would-be parent.
- Start with the basics. You may want to google how it all works. To give you a headstart, here are some basic terms you need to know:
“Carrier/Surrogate” — a woman who is about to carry a child.
“Intended parents” — would-be parents.
“Gestational surrogacy” — a process when an egg from an intended parent is used for fertilization and creating an embryo. Thus, there’s no blood relation between a surrogate mother and a baby. - Find a lawyer. Law is hard. Moreover, it differs a lot from country to country and is financially difficult. That’s why you need to research your local permissions and restrictions, and it’s always easier to do with some professional help.
- Bring together the best of the best. From genetic and medical specialists to mental health professionals, every member of your surrogacy team is crucial for conceiving a child.
- Make up your mind about an agency. The choice is yours, but generally, families prefer not to face every problem on this road alone.
- Summarize the costs and secure some additional funds for emergency expenses.
There will always be some risks when opting for surrogacy but following the steps mentioned above carefully eliminates at least some of them.
Question 2: Is It Emotionally Difficult?
This pitstop on your road is probably one of the most challenging ones and often requires consulting a professional.
When getting ready for the biggest and most thrilling adventure in our life, we often feel scared, nervous, or lost, consequently making a lot of mistakes. The surrogacy journey is the one where you need to keep a cool head from day one. Mental health experts claim that the easiest way to lower our anxiety level is conducting profound research on the matter at hand.
We suggest you go to a surrogate partner therapy together with your second half and a carrier while moving further. It’ll help you understand the feelings of each other and deal with any difficulties through dialogue.
Being emotionally ready means taking full responsibility for your baby’s future and (!) transferring some of it to the members of your team — your lawyer, doctors, psychiatrists, and carrier. For some people, the latter becomes even more difficult.
The question: “How can I trust my carrier?” is the most frequently asked one. Unfortunately, no article or expert in the world can prove that. To relieve that stress, you can either choose someone you truly trust to be your surrogate or find a carrier through a clinic and fill in a pile of papers that will protect you;
In any case, gestational surrogacy requires a giant leap of faith as intended parents trust a stranger with the most important thing in their lives.
Question 3: Can I Really Afford Surrogacy?
Apart from being exceptionally challenging for our psychological condition, surrogacy is no less challenging for our bank accounts. However, the financial part is much more predictable and handleable than our emotions. It just requires a thorough plan.
Depending on your country, the costs may differ. But generally, the program includes the following expenses:
- agency fees;
- lawyer fees;
- medical expenses;
- psychological support;
- counseling for a couple;
- additional support for your carrier — compensation for lost wages, health insurance, travel arrangements, etc.
As we understand the situation’s difficulty, we offer you several programs for surrogate motherhood to choose from.