Surrogacy is a highly complex process, and there are many important steps to ensure that both parties make the best decisions - including extensive counseling, psychiatric assessment and independent legal advice.
In surrogacy, an embryo is created using an egg and sperm produced by the intended parent(s) (or donors), and is transferred into the surrogate’s uterus. The surrogate has no genetic link to the child. Her eggs cannot be used to conceive the child.
WHO CAN BE A SURROGATE ?
To reduce the risks of surrogacy to both the intending parents and the proposed surrogate, we have a number of conditions that have to be fulfilled before we offer this treatment. The surrogate must satisfy all of the following requirements:
She must be older than 25, and younger than the age of natural menopause (52 years of age). This may be increased slightly to 55 in the unique situation of a gestational surrogate who is the mother or mother-in-law of the intended parent
Must have already given birth to a child of her own
Have no history of pregnancy-related illnesses or complications
Have an established relationship with the intending parents for a period of no less than 6 months by the time of embryo transfer
Neither the surrogate nor intending parents suffer from any significant psychiatric disorder that would impair decision-making or the care of the child
The surrogate must not use her own eggs although a third party donor is permissible
SINGLE PARENT
In general, the surrogacy process is the same for single parents as for any other intended parents. In vitro fertilization (IVF) is used to create an embryo that is then carried
In traditional surrogacy, a single man could hire, whose eggs would be used to create the embryo. However, most intended parents pursue gestational surrogacy, in which the surrogate (also called a gestational carrier) is not genetically related to the baby. While many couples are able to use the intended mother’s egg and intended father’s sperm, every single intended parent will need to use an egg or sperm donor in gestational surrogacy. This is the main difference between single-parent surrogacy and surrogacy for couples.
Many surrogacy agencies will help you find a donor and surrogate concurrently, or they may be able to refer you to sperm banks and egg donors within their networks. Single intended parents may also choose to work with a known donor, such as a close friend. Once you have identified your donor, the surrogacy process will continue as it would for any other intended parent.
