A lot of people wonder what is traditional surrogacy and gestational surrogacy. In simple words, in gestational surrogacy, there is no biological relationship between the mother and the baby. However, in traditional surrogacy, the eggs of the surrogate are used which makes her the biological mother of the baby she is carrying. This simple distinction leads to several implications for the surrogate mother as well as the prospective parents.
Various Implications Of The Two Types Of Surrogacy
●Medical Procedures Involved: The medical procedures involved in the case of a surrogacy process for intended parents is different for the two types of surrogacy. In the case of gestational surrogacy, IVF is used in order to create an embryo with the donor’s or intended mother’s eggs and with the sperm of the donor or the intended father. Once this process takes place, the embryo is transferred to the surrogate. On the other hand, traditional surrogacy involves artificial insemination with the help of the IUI (Intrauterine Insemination) process.
●Professionals On Surrogacy: Since there are fewer legal complications involved with gestational surrogacy, there are more surrogacy experts available to assist with this kind of surrogacy. In the case of traditional surrogacy, it might be more difficult to find professionals and experts to help with the surrogacy step-by-step process. This could be a possible answer to why choose gestational surrogacy.
●Overall Waiting Time: There can be a long waiting time in the case of traditional surrogacy because it is a more emotionally taxing process and there are fewer people willing to undertake this kind of surrogacy. In the case of gestational surrogacy, there are more organizations as well as people willing to help to make the waiting time shorter.
● Egg Donor: The process of gestational surrogacy involves the donation of eggs by an egg donor because the parents cannot produce healthy eggs. This kind of surrogacy works for homosexual couples, heterosexual couples as well as single parents. However, in the case of traditional surrogacy, egg donation is not needed because the surrogate mother uses her own eggs.
● Cost Of Surrogacy: Traditional surrogacy may be less expensive as compared to gestational surrogacy because of the differences in the medical processes. IUI is a much cheaper process than IVF. Moreover, the intended parents do not have to incur the cost of egg donation or other fertility treatments that are a part of gestational surrogacy, thus making it much cheaper. How much does a gestational surrogate cost will depend on a lot of factors but the process is definitely more expensive than traditional surrogacy.
●Legal Processes Involved: Legally speaking, both types of surrogacies are complicated. However, in the United States, many states have declared gestational surrogacy legal while calling traditional surrogacy illegal. However, it is always good to work with an organization that specializes in this or a legal attorney to help you understand the surrogacy laws properly before you decide to get into it.
●Overall Risks: When it comes to the overall risks, gestational surrogacy is less risky than traditional surrogacy. Many intended parents face the dilemma - Can a traditional surrogate keep the baby? Since the mother in traditional surrogacy is biologically related to the child, it can be possible that she changes her mind towards the end of the pregnancy or when the baby is born. In that case, the parents might have to fight a legal battle to get custody of the baby which can be a lengthy and complicated process.
Difference Between The Two Types Of Surrogacy
Starting or expanding a family through surrogacy is a big decision for any couple or individual, and one of the reasons it's such a big decision is that it's not just a choice because there aren't multiple ways to build a family through surrogacy. There are various types of surrogacy arrangements, each of which may seem better or worse for each individual family. There are hundreds of different decisions that can make a surrogacy pregnancy work in the best possible way, both for the parents and the gestational carriers, but one of the main ones is the choice between traditional surrogacy and gestational surrogacy.
A traditional surrogacy, in which the surrogate mother carries a pregnancy using her own egg, and either donor sperm or the sperm of the desired parent, is becoming less common than gestational surrogacy, which uses a donor egg or the desired parent's egg, but both are legal and possible in many parts of the United States, and both have potential advantages and disadvantages.
In gestational surrogacy, the surrogate parent carries a fetus made up of the intended parent’s sperm and egg, or donor sperm or donor egg, which forms an embryo through the process of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). In any case, with gestational surrogacy, the gestational carrier is not genetically related to the baby she is carrying. There are a few reasons why this option is becoming more common, and one of the most important is that there is less chance of legal confusion about who the parents of a baby born by gestational surrogacy are. Another reason may be that the gestational carrier, the intended parents, or both feel less conflicted about the carrier's place in the life of a baby born by gestational surrogacy. And finally, where possible, gestational surrogacy offers the intended mother the opportunity to be genetically related to her baby.
Traditional surrogacy, on the other hand, occurs when a surrogate mother is inseminated using donor or parental sperm to fertilize her own egg. In this type of surrogacy, the surrogate mother grants parental rights to the intended parents, but she is the genetic mother of the baby she is carrying. Traditional surrogacy is often the right choice for families when the intended parents are unable to provide a viable egg. In addition, parents trying to conceive with traditional surrogate mothers should make it very clear from the beginning that the surrogate mother and the parents are in complete agreement about what they expect from the relationship. It is also important that all parties have their own legal representation and are familiar with the state law as some states prohibit traditional surrogacy or do not recognize traditional surrogacy agreements.
Conclusion
There is no right or wrong answer to the question of whether a gestational or traditional surrogacy mother is right for a given family. That said, it is important to remember that, in the United States, the laws surrounding surrogacy vary from state to state. Hence, before entering into a surrogacy relationship, it is important to be clear about the rights of everyone involved in the relationship. Check out our website to be clear of your rights and those of the surrogates involved!
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