When first researching about surrogacy, many people are often surprised to find that there are two different types of surrogacy: traditional and gestational.
The first paid surrogacy was in 1980 and was by ‘traditional’ methods. Traditional surrogacy means that the surrogate donates her eggs as well as her uterus to carry the embryo throughout the pregnancy typically only used if the biological mother’s egg and/or the biological father’s sperm are unable to be used. Artificial insemination, or intrauterine insemination, is used to fertilize the surrogate’s eggs; the sperm may be from the Intended Father or from a sperm donor. This means that the surrogate has a biological connection to the child, but agrees to dismiss her parental rights after giving birth.
Gestational surrogacy is where the use of in vitro fertilization comes in and has become very popular over the last few decades since it was first successful. The term ‘test-tube baby’ has been affiliated with babies conceived this way. ‘In vitro’ means “in glass”, and is when eggs are taken out of the ovaries and mixed in a laboratory culture dish. A few days after the egg retrieval, the healthiest of embryos are selected and are then implanted into the uterus of the surrogate, or ‘gestational carrier’. The success rate varies and depends on many factors including, age, health, weight and other factors. Surrogates are screened and assessed to ensure everyone is healthy throughout the pregnancy.
There are many ways to go about this method, but each one results in no genetic link between embryo and surrogate:
- Mother’s egg, father’s sperm
Example: this would be chosen if the biological mother was unable to carry for medical reasons - Donor egg, father’s sperm
Example: if there was a question about egg quality of the mother, or there
were no ovaries - Mother’s egg, donor sperm
Example: this would be chosen if sperm quality was questioned - Donor egg, donor sperm
Example: with this option, there is no biological connection to the surro and there are a number of different reasons why this method is chosen by the parents.
Here at Canadian Surrogacy Options we are here to support you through your journey. If you have ANY questions contact us!