Here are some common myths about surrogacy and the reasons to debunk them.
Lately, celebrity surrogacy has given people an opportunity to learn more about third-party reproduction. However, there are still some myths about surrogacy. Here’s what people need to know to help clear up those misconceptions.
Any Woman Can Become A Surrogate
This is a myth. Surrogacy agencies have clear guidelines for surrogate applicants. For starters, an applicant must already be a mother and have a child living at home. Her pregnancies and deliveries should be complication free. Above all, she enjoys being pregnant.
Applicants are healthy and between the ages of 19-42.
Women who become surrogates want to help others achieve a family.
Most Celebrities Use Surrogates for Vanity Purposes
This is a myth. Famous intending mothers do not decide to have a surrogate carry their baby because they don’t want to gain the extra weight which comes with pregnancy.
Intending parents who enter into this arrangement have thought long and hard about this. The reasons a woman may need a surrogate to carry her baby are medical. She is either unable to become pregnant or carry to full term.
For others, being pregnant could either be harmful to the mother or her unborn child.
Being A Surrogate Is an Easy Way to Earn Extra Money
This is a myth. While being a surrogate is ideal for women who underwent easy pregnancies and deliveries, the process takes time and dedication. The month before an embryo transfer, a potential carrier must take hormonal medications. Many times, via an injection series.
She must also visit the fertility clinic on a regular basis to make sure she is responding to the medications. These appointments can be for bloodwork or even an ultrasound.
An embryo transfer is a minimally invasive procedure. But still, it’s a procedure a woman wanting to become a surrogate must undergo.
Being a surrogate is much different than carrying for one’s own children. The intending parents may have special requests that a gestational carrier is asked to follow in her contract.
A surrogate dedicates at least a year to helping others achieve their dream of parenthood. This also includes the time it takes to finalize legal contracts.
Surrogacy Is Only for The Rich and Famous
This is a myth. Granted, most surrogacy stories the public reads are about celebrity surrogacy. But behind the scenes, people of all socioeconomic backgrounds seek the help of an agency. Yes, while surrogacy can be costly, some intending parents save their dollars to make it happen. Other times they receive financial support from family and friends who want to help.
Gestational Surrogacy and Traditional Surrogacy Are the Same
This is a myth. Surrogacy agencies only accept gestational surrogates. This means the surrogate does not have a biological link to the baby she is carrying. The embryo implanted into the carrier does not have the surrogate’s DNA. Instead, the egg used for fertilization comes from either an egg donor or the intending mother.
Traditional surrogacy is a lot less common and not an accepted practice at professional agencies. These surrogates use their own eggs and are related to the baby they are carrying.
Gestational and traditional surrogates are polar opposites.
