Surrogate Mothers Online Q & A: I am doing a research paper on surrogacy and was wondering if you would be willing to give any information on the subject. Thank You. - <a href="mailto:ronjgartner@netscape.net">Tiffany</a> in Michigan

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Surrogate Mothers Online Q & A

Q & A: Surrogacy In General

Miscellaneous surrogacy related questions that do not fit under any of the other categories

7. I am doing a research paper on surrogacy and was wondering if you would be willing to give any information on the subject. Thank You. - Tiffany in Michigan - Top

Tiffany,

I can give you a brief description of our surrogacy. My husband and I elected to pursue surrogacy because a hysterectomy when I was 20 left me infertile and we found adoption difficult, expensive, and not a very sure thing. We began researching surrogacy in 1991 and it was 1997 before we were able to pursue it due to finances and our careers. In 1997 we returned to
the states after living overseas for three years and posted an ad online for a surrogate. We wanted to do Traditional Surrogacy (TS) where a surrogate becomes pregnant via artificial insemination, usually with the intended father's sperm. We chose this option because it was less expensive and because genetics were not that big of a deal to us.

In March of 1998 a potential surrogate mother (SM) contacted us and within a few weeks we had decided to work together. Our SM is married and has three children of her own. Her husband was very supportive and in a short time we all became very good friends. We did our first set of insems in May of '98 and did not get pregnant. We skipped June because our SM was on vacation in the Midwest. We did our next set of insems in July of '98 and got a positive pregnancy test result on 8 Aug 98.

During the pregnancy I accompanied our SM to all DR's visits and in Dec we learned we were having a baby girl. We decided to give our daughter the same middle name as our SM to honor our SM. SM and I went to the hospital together in Jan to make arrangements for the delivery and hospital stay. In March 1999 our daughter was born with my husband and I present. She was perfect in every way. My husband and I spent both days at the hospital with our daughter, most of which was spent in our SM's room. On the day we all left the hospital there were tears but not of sadness but of joy and happiness.

Our daughter will be nine months old soon and we have maintained a very close relationship with our SM and her family. We now consider ourselves one big extended family. Our daughter will grow up knowing everything as I keep a pregnancy diary/calendar. Her scrap book has pictures of SM when she was pregnant, at our baby shower, and at the hospital. Everything went so well
for all of us that SM has offered to have another child for us. It is a testament to our relationship that she and her husband want no fee for the next child. They simply want to help us have the family we have always dreamed of.

So much for my brief discription. :-) I hope this helps you better understand surrogacy and helps you with your assignment.

Lynn - Updated: February 13, 2000
Miscellaneous surrogacy related questions that do not fit under any of the other categories

7. I am doing a research paper on surrogacy and was wondering if you would be willing to give any information on the subject. Thank You. - Tiffany in Michigan - Top: Tiffany,

I can give you a brief description of our surrogacy. My husband and I elected to pursue surrogacy because a hysterectomy when I was 20 left me infertile and we found adoption difficult, expensive, and not a very sure thing. We began researching surrogacy in 1991 and it was 1997 before we were able to pursue it due to finances and our careers. In 1997 we returned to
the states after living overseas for three years and posted an ad online for a surrogate. We wanted to do Traditional Surrogacy (TS) where a surrogate becomes pregnant via artificial insemination, usually with the intended father's sperm. We chose this option because it was less expensive and because genetics were not that big of a deal to us.

In March of 1998 a potential surrogate mother (SM) contacted us and within a few weeks we had decided to work together. Our SM is married and has three children of her own. Her husband was very supportive and in a short time we all became very good friends. We did our first set of insems in May of '98 and did not get pregnant. We skipped June because our SM was on vacation in the Midwest. We did our next set of insems in July of '98 and got a positive pregnancy test result on 8 Aug 98.

During the pregnancy I accompanied our SM to all DR's visits and in Dec we learned we were having a baby girl. We decided to give our daughter the same middle name as our SM to honor our SM. SM and I went to the hospital together in Jan to make arrangements for the delivery and hospital stay. In March 1999 our daughter was born with my husband and I present. She was perfect in every way. My husband and I spent both days at the hospital with our daughter, most of which was spent in our SM's room. On the day we all left the hospital there were tears but not of sadness but of joy and happiness.

Our daughter will be nine months old soon and we have maintained a very close relationship with our SM and her family. We now consider ourselves one big extended family. Our daughter will grow up knowing everything as I keep a pregnancy diary/calendar. Her scrap book has pictures of SM when she was pregnant, at our baby shower, and at the hospital. Everything went so well
for all of us that SM has offered to have another child for us. It is a testament to our relationship that she and her husband want no fee for the next child. They simply want to help us have the family we have always dreamed of.

So much for my brief discription. :-) I hope this helps you better understand surrogacy and helps you with your assignment.

Lynn - Updated: February 13, 2000

Unless stated otherwise, all responses in the SMO Q&A are courtesy of one or more of the following hosts:

Sherry - Experienced gestational surrogate currently working on her 2nd surrogacy arrangement

Linda - New Mommy to twins born via gestational surrogacy and egg donation

Jennifer S. - Experienced AI surrogate

Lynn - New Mommy to a daughter born via traditional surrogacy

Tracie - 5 time egg donor (triplets, 2 sets of twins and 2 singletons) and 3 time surrogate (2-AI, 1-IVF).

Lisa - Experienced egg donor and previous gestational surrogate currently working on her 2nd surrogacy arrangement (Lisa was our former ED host, prior to July 1999.)
Disclaimer: Responses from SMO Q&A Hosts do not necessarily represent the opinions and ideas of SMO. Neither the Q&A hosts nor SMO guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in the responses given here. As such, neither SMO nor the Q&A hosts are responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of such information. Neither SMO nor the Q&A hosts shall be liable or responsible to any person or entity for any loss or damage caused, or alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly by the information or ideas contained, suggested, or referenced in these responses.

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