Traditional surrogacy has been in the consciousness of infertile couples since the biblical days when Sarah asked her handmaiden Haagar to lay with Abraham. However, today’s modern society has made it possible for surrogacy arrangements to be made between intended parents and potential fetus carriers without hurt feelings and negative emotional ties. Although there is no universal law in the land that supports one party or the other in a surrogacy arrangement, there are select jurisdictions that have laws and procedures in place to handle any surrogate arrangement that goes awry.
By definition, traditional surrogacy is the fertilization of a woman’s egg either by artificial insemination or the use of natural methods by the intended father of the child and that same woman carries the fetus to term. Genetically, the baby is related to the surrogate mother and the intended father. There are a few ways that the surrogate mother can be artificially inseminated. She can be artificially inseminated by in-vitro fertilization, intra-cervical insemination, or intrauterine insemination. Also there are times in traditional surrogacy when donated sperm is used to fertilize the egg instead of an intended father.
Each process of artificial insemination has its degree of difficulty and success rates.
-In vitro fertilization is when the surrogate’s egg is fertilized outside of her body, then implanted back inside in order for the fetus to grow to term.
-Intra cervical insemination is when fresh sperm is placed directly near the cervix to produce fertilization. This method of insemination is the easiest for a woman or a couple to do right in the privacy of their own home, without the assistance of a medical professional.
-Intrauterine insemination is when the sperm is placed inside of the woman’s reproductive tract to produce fertilization.
Generally, a couple might choose to use the services as a surrogate mother if they’ve been having infertility issues. If they are a heterosexual couple, then the issues could range from a low sperm count for the male or an inability of the female’s egg to accept fertilization. But, a homosexual couple may use a surrogate mother for a variety of reasons. One being, if the couple are men, then they need a woman’s egg and her body to carry the baby to term. But, if the couples are women, then it could simply be that one of them is not be physically able to carry the fetus to term.
Although the acts involved in natural reproduction can be considered the best part of the process by willing participants, it also evokes a lot of emotions; emotions that can hinder the relationship between the couple. However, as our culture has progressed to the point where women are working in the corporate world and can rise to the level of becoming senior executives and partners within a company or firm, she may not want to get pregnant and lose time from her chosen profession. So, she may look into using the services of a surrogate mother to help her start a family with her spouse.