The Journey to Parenting: Things That Are Important to Know Before The Surrogacy Process Abroad

For quite a few surrogate couples it is the only way to give birth to a biological child - what is important to know when considering a surrogacy procedure abroad and what are the differences between the different countries? An expert explains

Dr. Eli Geva

17/01/2022

Monday, 17 January 2022, 08:06

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on Twitter

• Share on Email

• Share on general

• Comments

  Comments

Many people think that difficulties in having children are the lot of couples or singles whose fertility problem is related to the quality of the eggs or sperm, however, there is another group of patients who have difficulty conceiving and giving birth for completely different reasons.

These are women who can achieve fertilization but cannot bear the pregnancy, or the pregnancy puts them at health risk.

This condition can occur against a background of a wide range of conditions: hysterectomy following a tumor (e.g. cervical cancer), a difficult birth in the woman's past, or a background disease that does not allow the woman's body to withstand the load (e.g. heart disease, lung disease, blood clotting disorders, or Past of organ transplantation).

In other cases, pregnancies actually occur, but they do not survive and end in miscarriage time and time again, for various reasons (sometimes, the cause is not clear at all).

These women (and their spouses) have only one single option to give birth to a biological child: surrogacy.

More on Walla!

80% of women suffer from this problem in pregnancy, how can it be alleviated?

To the full article

As part of a surrogacy procedure, the eggs of the intended mother (or of an egg donor) can be fertilized in the sperm of the intended father, through an in vitro fertilization procedure. A procedure is then performed in which the fertilized egg is returned to the uterus of the carrier (surrogate) mother, where the fetus will develop until birth.

These are not always fertility issues that send couples to the option of surrogacy. Illustration (Photo: ShutterStock)

Some of the women and couples who are unable to conceive are able to locate a surrogate in Israel and complete the process. Certainly there are women in Israel who see this as a real mission. However, other couples are unable to find a surrogate in Israel. For them, the only way to give birth to a biological child is surrogacy abroad.

Different countries, different laws, different culture

The good news is that the chances of becoming a parent in the surrogacy process are high and one can certainly expect success. However, if you are considering surrogacy abroad, it is important that you arrive prepared, as the process involves medical aspects, different cultures, different languages, geographical distances, different laws and more. It is important to be aware of the difficulties that may arise, The process The

vast majority of couples who apply for a surrogacy procedure abroad do so through some kind of escort from a doctor or agency, with whom they go on a journey. Already in the early stages of initial counseling, there are a few things that are important to check and find out:

The surrogate will carry your fetus in her womb and take part in maintaining its well-being and development.

You should choose a process that allows you to get to know her and examine the chemistry between you.

Try to feel whether you have confidence in her, whether you will feel that she maintains her health and the health of your fetus, whether you are positively impressed by her emotional state.

Apart from meeting with you, make sure that the surrogate has passed the health screenings by the person accompanying you.

One of the conditions is that the surrogate has already conceived and given birth in the past.

And what if you met and did not feel connected and matched?

Make sure that if necessary, you will be offered to meet another candidate, until you feel confident.

You should choose a process that will allow you to get to know the surrogate, examine the chemistry and also provide a solution in case it is not.

Couple and surrogate (Photo: ShutterStock, shutterstock)

Another important detail to consider is that some countries will require you to adopt the child after birth, in an expensive and lengthy legal process. In these countries you will not be able to leave with the child until the adoption process is completed. This fact will force you to stay abroad after the birth, for an unknown period. However, in other countries, such as Ukraine for example, you will receive a birth certificate in your name already in the hospital and will not need an adoption process at all. Regarding genetic testing

,

there is an issue that is worth recognizing: Check if you are offered a genetic test on the fetus before it is inserted into the surrogate uterus. This is a procedure called "pre-implantation diagnosis", in which Down syndrome can be identified. To rule out Down Syndrome, in addition, the test can detect the sex of the fetus (if you want) even before the fetus is absorbed in the uterus.

Even if you are about to go through the process abroad, it does not mean that you do not deserve to know and choose a doctor who will perform the important and sensitive processes such as egg extraction, fertilization and return to the uterus. On a personal level and inspires confidence and a positive attitude in you. You can consult with your doctor about the chances of getting fertilization from your egg and sperm and receive treatment that will support it.

The medical standards of pregnancy tests abroad do not always match those used in Israel. A pregnant woman holds an ultrasound image (Photo: ShutterStock)

More on Walla!

• The book that will give you a glimpse into sides you did not know about surrogacy

• This is the medical problem that led to Kim Kardashian turning to surrogacy

• Loan on better terms from the bank: up to NIS 100,000 and for any purpose

By the way, not in all countries are the medical standards as strict and orderly as in Israel, and therefore the role of the doctor is all the more important. It is important to choose a doctor to accompany the pregnancy follow-up, as naturally during the period, unexpected events, questions about the future of the pregnancy and the need to make decisions in which you will need professional, sensitive and supportive advice may occur. It is important that you feel that the doctor is accompanying you and the pregnancy on the best side.

And what if we fail to achieve fertilization with the help of your egg and sperm, the intended parents? Your surrogate is the fetus. She will not be able to donate the egg. Therefore, in case it is not possible to fertilize the egg of the intended mother, it will be necessary to locate an egg donation. Check whether the person accompanying you offers solutions for these cases as well.

It is recommended to make sure that as part of the process, the surrogate is arranged a living environment near the clinic where the pregnancy is monitored.

Abroad, there may be a long distance between the surrogate's living area and the clinic. It is important that the surrogate can carry out the pregnancy follow-up under favorable conditions, in order to ensure that the pregnancy is monitored regularly and without unnecessary effort.

• health

• Pregnancy and Birth

Tags

• Surrogacy

• fertility

• Pregnancy and Birth

• Pregnancy

• adoption