What You Need to Know about Surrogate Motherhood

What You Need to Know about Surrogate Motherhood Medical science has advanced to such a degree that two separate women can be involved in giving birth to one child. What was considered to be infertility just a couple of decades ago can be biologically conceivable today through surrogate motherhood. Surrogacy is normally sought for when a couple has difficulty in conceiving and bearing a child. This difficulty in conception can occur due to a variety of reasons. There could be biological, physiological and sometimes, even psychological reasons for difficulty in conception. A surrogate mother can be chosen as a substitute to bear the child instead of the real mother. In most cases, the sperm from the biological father would be used to fertilize the egg extracted from the biological mother. The fertilization process would take place in a Petri dish in a lab environment. Since the fertilization takes place outside the body in a glass-like container, it is called in vitro fertilization. The term â€Å"in vitro† means within the glass. Once the egg is fertilized, it is placed inside the surrogate mother’s uterus and is allowed to develop into a normal pregnancy. The rest of the pregnancy is totally identical to a normal pregnancy. If either of the biological parents is not capable of providing sperm or the egg, a donor might be used in their place. In some rare instances, when the biological mother cannot produce healthy eggs, the surrogate mother might be made to conceive through artificial insemination. But in this case, since the surrogate becomes the biological mother as well, there could be complications in the adoption process. The medical history of the surrogate should also be taken into account to ensure the health of the baby.