There are two types of surrogacy common in America today, Gestational Surrogacy and Traditional Surrogacy. What exactly is a traditional surrogate mother? Learn about this type of surrogate motherhood.
When most people who are not familiar with the process of surrogate motherhood are confronted with it, they automatically assume a surrogate arrangement is a traditional surrogacy arrangement, since this is the oldest form of surrogacy.
Surrogacy Abraham and Sarah
To learn about traditional surrogacy, we need to look back through the history of surrogacy and hear about Abraham and Sarah.
Traditional surrogacy got its start in western culture as far back as the bible, with Abraham and Sarah.
When Sarah had trouble conceiving, she asked her handmaiden, Hagar, to become a surrogate for her and carry Abraham’s child.
This worked out well for the couple, and eventually they had their own children together. Traditional Surrogacy is where the surrogate mother is, in fact, the biological mother of the child.
The child will be conceived with the surrogate carrier’s eggs and the sperm of the intended father. The surrogate will go through Artificial Insemination with the sperm of the intended father in order to become pregnant.
This is, of course, different from how Hagar became pregnant with Abraham’s child in biblical days, and some modern traditional surrogate mothers report having to clarify the process of artificial insemination for curious, and nosy, acquaintances.
When the baby is born, the traditional surrogate will sign over all legal rights to the child. This is very similar to what an adoptive mother will do when she gives her child up for adoption. In essence, the traditional carrier IS giving up her biological child. The difference here is that this child was created with this intended eventual outcome.
The intended mother will adopt the child through a step-parent adoption. The intended father is the biological father of the baby. Most of the legal procedure with a traditional surrogacy is similar to a standard adoption, depending on the state that it is done in.
The traditional surrogate mother may or may not have future contact with the child conceived, depending on the individual surrogate motherhood arrangement made by her and the intended parents prior to conception.
What Kinds of Intended Parents Seek Traditional Surrogates?
Intended parents seek this one of the types of surrogacy for a myriad of reasons. Surrogacy is very expensive, especially gestational surrogacy.
In a typical gestational surrogacy, intended parents pay for:
- Agency
- Lawyers
- IVF Clinic
- IVF Medications
- Possible Egg Donor
- Surrogate Compensation
A huge amount of this cost is the IVF process. For an intended mother, or a same sex couple who are in need of an egg donor as well, these fees can make the entire process out of reach, financially, for many intended parents.
Of the two types of surrogacy, traditional surrogacy is a much more financially affordable option for many who could not afford gestational surrogacy. That’s not to say that the only reason intended parents choose traditional surrogacy is because it is less expensive.
There are many other reasons. For instance, many intended parents who would need an egg donor would find the process easier, and much more personal, by using a traditional carrier.
What Do Intended Parents Look for in Traditional Surrogates?
Since the surrogate baby conceived in a traditional surrogacy is the biological child of the traditional surrogate, there are some issues that are more important about traditional surrogacy that aren’t important with other types of surrogacy.
Family History
Having a family history clear of genetic birth defects and free of disease are very important with a traditional carrier. Traditional surrogates who are themselves adopted and have no knowledge of their genetic parents are less desirable.
Appearance
Many intended parents are concerned with a traditional carrier’s appearance. They generally look for one of two characteristics: either they want a surrogate who resembles the intended mother, or they are looking for an attractive woman with a particular hair and eye color, height, and weight.
Qualities
Intended parents are also interested in a traditional carrier’s hobbies, skills, and IQ. Again, they are either looking for someone whose interests resemble that of the intended mother, or they are looking for a surrogate with a high IQ, college education, and other impressive qualities.
Since there is such a wide range of what parents look for in this of the types of surrogacy, there are usually intended parents to fit every traditional surrogate.
Hopefully this information about traditional surrogacy will go a long way towards furthering your understanding.
