Traditional Surrogacy Terminology

Surrogacy-Quote-16by Tamara
(Reynoldsburg,Ohio, USA)
Hopeful intended parents

What is the medical term called when a traditional surrogate is fertilized with the intended fathers sperm?

What is the correct medical terminology for when a traditional surrogate is fertilized with the intended fathers sperm?? does the traditional surrogate have to undergo any hormones or therapy before fertilization or is it possible to just fertilize her while she’s ovulating???

Reply by Rayven

I believe the term you are looking for is Artificial Insemination.

Sometimes a traditional surrogate mother will undergo hormone treatment, but often she does not. It depends on the situation. She can be fertilized while ovulating.

Artificial Insemination can be done in a clinic setting or via home insemination with frozen sperm.

Best wishes!

Giving Up a Surrogate Baby

Surrogacy-Quote-103by rachael
(england)
I’m in the last couple of weeks of my surrogate pregnancy was it hard to give up the baby im starting to get really scared after the birth

Reply by Rayven
Rachel,

Giving a surrogate baby back to his parents is different for every surrogate mother. Some surrogate mothers experience only joy at the baby’s birth, as they are excited about the new family they have created.

Others feel a combination of some sadness as well as joy. At the birth, the surrogate’s role is done. Many surrogate mothers are the center of attention throughout the pregnancy, but the second that child is born, that attention shifts -permanently- to the baby.

Most women who are surrogates do not experience great feelings of sadness or loss at the birth of the baby; though it does occasionally happen. This is where a good support system comes into play.

Don’t be scared; the birth is beautiful, and watching the happiness on the faces of your intended parents is worth it all.

If you feel a little sad, it’s OK. Go home and hug your children and it should pass in a few days. Talk to your partner and your support system and be honest about your feelings with them. If for some reason your sadness (if you have any at all) lingers, or becomes overwhelming, talk to your OB/GYN.

For me, giving the baby back to his parents was the best part. I did not experience any sadness whatsoever. I can honestly say for me, it was not hard in the least giving the baby back to his parents.

Best wishes!

The Difference Between Traditional Surrogacy and Gestational Surrogacy

Surrogacy-Quote-62by mary
(ms)
Do you always use the other couples egg or could you just use the husbans sperm?

we do not have the money to do all the infertility specialest and i have pcos and do not ovulate. so i was wondering if you could use the surrgotes egg

Reply by Rayven
If you are doing Gestational Surrogacy, and going through IVF, you will use the egg of the intended mother or an egg donor.

The situation you are describing is called Traditional Surrogacy, where the surrogate becomes pregnant through Artificial Insemination with the sperm of the intended father.

Traditional surrogacy is very common, and usually much less expensive than Gestational surrogacy.

Hope this helps!

How To Tell Your Children About Surrogacy

Surrogacy-Quote-10Are you thinking about helping another family be serving as a surrogate mother? Do you already have children of your own? If so, at some point you will have to tell your children about your choice. This can be something that is difficult and even overwhelming since you want to be as sensitive as possible and may not know how your child will react. If you need a few tips on how you can make this a bit easier to get through, read on.

One thing to remember is this: kids are smarter than we usually give them credit for. They are also more accepting of things than an adult would be. So, honestly, all of your fretting may prove to be unfounded.

Telling Your Toddler
Ok, so let’s talk about toddlers first. When discussing your plans with your small child, it is really best to keep it as simple as possible. You can tell them that babies grow inside their mommy’s bellies and that the intended mother’s belly is broken so you are helping her by letting the baby grow in your belly.

You want to be sure that your child knows that the baby you are carrying is for the intended mother and her family and that he/she will be going to live with them after birth. You may have to reiterate this explanation throughout your pregnancy, but it is actually very effective in its simplicity.

Telling Your School-Aged Child

With older children, you can expand more upon the simplistic explanation mentioned above. Once they hit elementary school, kids are better able to understand reproduction to a degree. You can even go into the science of how it works to fertilize an egg and transplant the embryo inside your womb. It may seem like it would be too complex for them to understand, but if you do it right, they will. And they will be reassured that the child that you are carrying is not going to be their brother or sister. This will hopefully make the post-birth transition easier. If you prefer not to go into so much detail you can liken it to baking cookies for a friend. Your friend’s oven is broken so you are baking their cookies for them. Bt once the cookies are done, you can’t keep them – you have to give them to your friend.

Telling Your Teenager

When it comes to telling your teenager, complete openness is the best policy. They are at the age where they should definitely be able to understand the process of reproduction as well as the science behind surrogacy. When discussing your choice with your teenagers be sure to let them know as many details as possible as well as give them the chance to voice their questions, feelings, and concerns about the surrogacy.

Regardless of the age of your child, you will likely find that they are more understanding and accepting than you may have expected. The key is to be open and honest with them.

Surrogacy Scam Unites Two Families

Surrogacy-Quote-10On May 13th, justice was meted out to Tonya Collins – the former owner of a surrogacy agency called SurroGenesis in Modesto, California – fraud case was finally settled. The judge sentenced her to five years and three months in prison for four counts of wire fraud in which she conned several families out of over two million dollars – money they had paid to be put towards their surrogacies.

As one can imagine, this situation has been emotionally, not to mention financially, burdensome for the innocent parties involved. It is something that many of them will not easily overcome. However, there seems to be a silver lining in this travesty of a situation. While many families were left devastated, this situation has actually brought two families together.

Wife and mother of three, Fresno resident Katir Froman was eager to become a surrogate. She felt that it would be a great feeling to be able to bless another family with a child that they have been wanting but could not have on their own. So, in June of 2007, she signed up to be a surrogate through SurroGenesis. Not too long afterwards, she was matched up with a family. Little did she know of the scandal that was going to break.

When she was well into her 3rd trimester (only a month and a half away from delivery) with twins, Froman received news that Tonya had fled the town and had been embezzling funds. Luckily, Froman was one of the people who were not directly impacted by Collins’s actions. Unfortunately, at least 50 other families had fallen victim to the elaborate scheme. Her heart broke for those families., saying that she ” was just blown away that somebody could be so heartless and take something that’s so important to so many people. It’s not like you’re stealing money, it was people’s hopes and dreams that she took”.

In 2010, Froman heard the story of Beth and Marcia Mardones. This Chicago couple were one of the families that had been victimized. They had been conned out of $20,000. Worse, their chance at parenthood had been taken from them. Beth Mardones is quoted as saying “I just felt that all of our hopes of having our own biological child were shattered”.

Apparently, the Mardones’s story really struck a chord with Froman who says that “My heart was broken for them. I was literally crying watching their interview and I just felt like I needed to help them,” She was so touched, in fact, that she contacted them through Facebook and offered them a huge gift – she would carry and deliver their child without any expectation of compensation.

Although it took several tries, the Mardones family did finally get their wish to become parents – something that they view as being a huge blessing. They are now the proud parents of a 14 month old son named Jake who is a reminder of the bond that is now shared between the Fromans and the Mardones families.

As Jay Froman (Beth’s husband says “even though Tonya Collins is not a good person, and what she did was wrong, there’s still people out there that do the right thing and step up when the time comes”.) This story of altruism and humanity is one that gives hope to many.