Although the COVID-19 pandemic is still wreaking havoc in many parts of the world, cases in the United States have seen a significant drop as more and more people continue to get vaccinated.
Because of the steady and promising decline in the US and other parts of the world, travel restrictions have also eased down and with it, the medical tourism industry has seen a revival as well.
The demand for surrogacy had already been growing in the U.S., with more than 18,000 babies born via gestational carrier cycles between 1999 and 2013, the most recent data available, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
It’s estimated that one out of eight couples will be unable to conceive or carry a baby to full term. Because of these startling statistics, the need for gestational carriers is at an all time high.
The cause(s) behind infertility are so varied and sporadic that it's hard to pin down a single reason as to why infertility has been increasing.
In women, infertility might be caused by uterine related issues or as a by-product of far more life-threatening conditions such as cancer. For years, it was thought that infertility was a woman’s problem. It’s not. Men have their own fertility issues and in fact. male factor infertility is the likely culprit in approximately 40–50% of all infertility cases. Male factor infertility can be a problem because of a number of reasons such as low sperm count, abnormal sperm shape and low sperm motility.
In addition to infertility, same sex couples are the second biggest contributor to the gestational surrogacy market.
Similarly, some who have opted for the adoption route, have found it to be an excruciatingly long and confusing process that's not always successful. Some even complain of being rejected on the basis of health issues. age and sexual orientation.
This is just a handful of cases and situations where gestational surrogacy provides the answer parents are looking for. Everyone has the right to build a family of their own however they feel most comfortable.
There is so much more to having babies for other people than is portrayed in the media. Not only do you forever change the lives of the expecting parents, but you are now eternally apart of something greater than yourself.