Surrogate Mothers Online Q & A: Hi I am a little curious, I am just wondering if I were to decide that I would like to become a surrogate mother, would I have to use my own eggs, or would the persons who I would be carrying the baby for be able to already have their egg Fertilized and implanted inside me? I am also wondering about how many eggs they Might put inside me. I think this is something I would like to do but under the right situation for me and the parents. --<A HREF="mailto:lipps39@hotmail.com">Anonymous</A> in Canada

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Surrogate Mothers Online Q & A

Q & A: Medical Issues - Gestational Surrogacy

Topics may include the risks involved in surrogacy, side effects from meds, questions about protocol, etc.

11. Hi I am a little curious, I am just wondering if I were to decide that I would like to become a surrogate mother, would I have to use my own eggs, or would the persons who I would be carrying the baby for be able to already have their egg Fertilized and implanted inside me? I am also wondering about how many eggs they Might put inside me. I think this is something I would like to do but under the right situation for me and the parents. --Anonymous in Canada - Top

Depending on the type of surrogate you choose to become, the eggs could be yours or the intended mother's (or even a donor's eggs). Traditional
surrogates use their own eggs and are usually artificially inseminated with the intended father's sperm to create the child. In this instance, there is only a small chance of multiples, no shots or bedrest required and it is a lot cheaper than going thru an in-vitro fertilization that would be needed if the intended mother used her or a donor's eggs.

The IVF surrogacy is known as Gestational Surrogacy. The number of fertilized eggs they put back in an IVF procedure depends on a number of factors: The quality of the egg, the age of the woman, the quality of your uterine lining, the number of eggs fertilized, and when the eggs (embryos) are being transferred to your uterus. But, it is also determined by the number of embryos you and the intended parents have agreed to put back in your contract.

A procedure becoming more and more common is to incubate the embryos for 5 days (when they are at the blastocyst stage of development) prior to transferring them. Since this process also weeds out less hearty embryos, most doctors will only put back 2 blastocyst embryos. This makes the chance of a multiple pregnancy higher than twins extremely unlikely (there's always the chance though that both blastocysts will take and one embryo will split forming identical twins and a fraternal triplet).

If you DO decide to become a surrogate, you should always hold out for the situation that makes you feel good and that is right for you, your family and the intended parents. Don't "settle" for anything less!

Linda P
Mom of twins born 11/25/98 through donor egg and gestational surrogacy

Dear anonymous:

No, You don't have to use your eggs. There are many couples that have their own eggs and some have them into embryos in a frozen state. You and the couple decide how many embryos you would transfer into you. One thing I can say from experience is state in your contract HOW many the most you will transfer and carry if all take. (I feel that's important.) I hope this helps and good luck!

Sherry

You can do either, and usually they only transfer
about 4. Some more and some less.

Jennifer - Updated: January 17, 2000
Topics may include the risks involved in surrogacy, side effects from meds, questions about protocol, etc.

11. Hi I am a little curious, I am just wondering if I were to decide that I would like to become a surrogate mother, would I have to use my own eggs, or would the persons who I would be carrying the baby for be able to already have their egg Fertilized and implanted inside me? I am also wondering about how many eggs they Might put inside me. I think this is something I would like to do but under the right situation for me and the parents. --Anonymous in Canada - Top: Depending on the type of surrogate you choose to become, the eggs could be yours or the intended mother's (or even a donor's eggs). Traditional
surrogates use their own eggs and are usually artificially inseminated with the intended father's sperm to create the child. In this instance, there is only a small chance of multiples, no shots or bedrest required and it is a lot cheaper than going thru an in-vitro fertilization that would be needed if the intended mother used her or a donor's eggs.

The IVF surrogacy is known as Gestational Surrogacy. The number of fertilized eggs they put back in an IVF procedure depends on a number of factors: The quality of the egg, the age of the woman, the quality of your uterine lining, the number of eggs fertilized, and when the eggs (embryos) are being transferred to your uterus. But, it is also determined by the number of embryos you and the intended parents have agreed to put back in your contract.

A procedure becoming more and more common is to incubate the embryos for 5 days (when they are at the blastocyst stage of development) prior to transferring them. Since this process also weeds out less hearty embryos, most doctors will only put back 2 blastocyst embryos. This makes the chance of a multiple pregnancy higher than twins extremely unlikely (there's always the chance though that both blastocysts will take and one embryo will split forming identical twins and a fraternal triplet).

If you DO decide to become a surrogate, you should always hold out for the situation that makes you feel good and that is right for you, your family and the intended parents. Don't "settle" for anything less!

Linda P
Mom of twins born 11/25/98 through donor egg and gestational surrogacy

Dear anonymous:

No, You don't have to use your eggs. There are many couples that have their own eggs and some have them into embryos in a frozen state. You and the couple decide how many embryos you would transfer into you. One thing I can say from experience is state in your contract HOW many the most you will transfer and carry if all take. (I feel that's important.) I hope this helps and good luck!

Sherry

You can do either, and usually they only transfer
about 4. Some more and some less.

Jennifer - Updated: January 17, 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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