|
Gestational carriers (surrogacy)
By the BabyCenter editorial staff
What is a gestational carrier?
Whether you set it up through an agency or as an independent
adoption, or negotiate it privately, using a gestational carrier
is an emotionally intense and legally complex arrangement that
involves having another woman carry and deliver your baby for
you. It's officially recognized in only a handful of states and
is still illegal in others. The process can require vast amounts
of time, money, and patience to succeed.
Is surrogacy for you?
Using a gestational carrier may be the best choice for you if
you're unable to conceive because your uterus is irregular or
missing or if various other fertility treatments have failed.
Treatment: What to expect
Typically, you and your partner will undergo an assisted reproductive
technology (ART) procedure such as in vitro fertilization (IVF)
to produce an embryo that's biologically yours. (If this isn't
possible because of the nature of your fertility problem, you
can also use donated eggs, sperm, or embryos.) Your embryo will
then be placed in the uterus of a gestational carrier who'll carry
the baby to term. When the child is born, the carrier will turn
the baby over to you and sign away her parental rights.
Gestational carrier arrangements are usually set up either as
independent adoptions (in states where they're legal) or more
commonly by contracts arranged through agencies. Some physicians
specialize in gestational carriers and can help you make an arrangement.
Most likely, you'll be heavily involved in the pregnancy. You'll
also probably pay the carrier's expenses, from doctor visits to
housing, along with additional legal, agency, and service fees
if a contract is involved. If you live in the United States, you
can get information about your state's gestational carrier laws
here.
Length of treatment
Finding a healthy, willing gestational carrier can take months
or even years, whether you screen candidates through an agency,
canvass friends and relatives, or search for someone through the
Internet (all ways in which couples have found carriers in the
past). Once you've made an arrangement, you and your carrier will
probably try in vitro fertilization for three or four months.
Some experts say it's not a good idea to try longer because success
rates drop off after that.
Success rate
It's impossible to assign a numerical success rate to using a
gestational carrier — too many factors are involved. If
you find a willing carrier and she gets pregnant and carries the
baby to term (which depends on variables including sperm count,
egg quality, and the success of complicated procedures such as
IVF), you will have achieved what many couples don't. The Organization
of Parents Through Surrogacy estimates that in the United States,
carriers have been responsible for the births of nearly 10,000
babies since 1976; the number is hard to pin down since some people
make carrier arrangements privately, especially in states where
the procedure is illegal.
Pluses
If you and your partner are unable to conceive on your own, a
gestational carrier offers you a chance to parent your own biological
child by having your carrier carry an embryo created from your
egg and your partner's sperm. If you set up an open arrangement,
you can be intimately involved in the details of your baby's gestation
and have a say in your carrier's nutrition and healthcare during
the pregnancy.
Minuses
In addition to the possible complications accompanying procedures
such as IVF, using a gestational carrier is expensive, highly
controversial, and legally complex, often involving intricate
contracts and arrangements. In several states, using a gestational
carrier is illegal, forcing couples to make agreements under the
table.
You'll not only experience the usual suspense and anxiety of
waiting for a pregnancy to safely reach full-term, you'll also
have to worry about legal snags and the possibility that your
carrier will change her mind. You might have difficulty agreeing
with her on things such as genetic testing and how to manage the
pregnancy, labor, and delivery. And, when it comes time, your
carrier might have a hard time letting the baby go.
Cost
The cost of using a gestational carrier varies widely. An independent
adoption can cost at least $15,000, with about $12,000 going to
the carrier and the rest for legal fees (set by lawyers and agencies).
If you arrange a contract through an agency it can cost well over
$35,000, with $10,000 to $12,000 going to the carrier, $15,000
or more to legal expenses, and $10,000-plus to agency fees. (Neither
total includes additional fees for the carrier's prenatal care
and delivery if they aren't covered by her insurance.)
|
