Some Facts About Surrogacy

Before going on, I should probably explain a little more about the types of surrogacy and which one I chose. There are 2 types of surrogacy, gestational and traditional. Traditional is where the baby is conceived through artificial insemination and is genetically related to the surrogate and the intended father. Gestational is where the baby is conceived through in vitro fertilization. The baby is created from the intended father's (or a donor's) sperm and the intended mother's (or a donor's) egg in vitro and then transferred into the gestational surrogate (or carrier). The surrogate is in not genetically related to the baby at all. She is just carrying the baby for 9 months because the intended mother is unable to carry a pregnancy.

I chose gestational surrogacy because I felt it would be easier for me to separate myself from a child who was not genetically part of me. As a gestational carrier, I knew from the very beginning that the child I would carry would be the couple's own child and not related to me in any way. This is just a personal choice that each surrogate has to make for herself. We all know what we are capable of and/or comfortable with and have to make the right choices for ourselves. Regardless of my personal decision, there is a need for both types of surrogates and each type of surrogacy has it's own unique rewards and challenges.