Surrogacy

A “surrogacy” arrangement is when a woman agrees to become pregnant and deliver a baby for another person or couple who may have been unsuccessful carrying a baby to full term naturally.  The woman may have a genetic link to the prospective parents or parent and may, for example, agree to one of her own eggs being fertilised by the intended father’s sperm using IUI.

With the aid of assisted conception techniques she may even become the “host” for an embryo that is the biological child of the intended parents or even an embryo that has been donated by another couple, not necessarily genetically linked, which has been created after IVF treatment.

Surrogacy can be a private arrangement and requires serious consideration. More often, however, it is carefully planned using the total support of an experienced gynaecologist and specialised clinics.