Building a family via surrogacy in Georgia

22 June 2018 ·3 min read ·Updated 18 May 2023 ·Reviewed by Edel Pons, Founder, Pons Medical Research

Building a family via surrogacy in Georgia

Surrogate motherhood is a particular procedure implying that the pregnancy is not carried out by the genetic mother but by a surrogate mother. There may be several reasons why a couple resorts to surrogacy: perhaps pregnancy is not possible because of a health problems or advanced age.

How do you find a surrogate mother and what are the rules?

The first step is to find a surrogacy provider. You can check our blog article about how to find a good surrogacy agency here. If the issue about the selection of a surrogate mother is resolved, thorough medical and psychological examination of a potential surrogate mother is conducted before the beginning of treatment. If everything is okay and all parties are satisfied, the IVF cycle begins with stimulation of the patient or donor superovulation (if it is necessary to donate the donor’s egg cells). In these procedures, the eggs of the surrogate mother are not used, and the child will not be genetically connected to her.

After the maturation of the follicles, these eggs are scored, and under the conditions of the embryology laboratory, fertilization takes place with the sperm of the Intended Father. Obtained embryos will be then transferred to the womb of a surrogate mother, where pregnancy will develop.

Modern (Gestational) Surrogacy

In gestational surrogacy, fertilization takes place outside the womb using IVF or ICSI. The egg is from the Intended Mother or a donor and is fertilized by the sperm cell of the Intended Father. The fertilized egg is then placed in the womb of the surrogate mother. In this case, the Intended Mother can be the biological mother of the child, but that does not have to be the case if the couple opt for egg donation. Sometimes, mothers who are unable to use their egg cells, for example, can use an egg cell of a sister or other family member, so that the child will still look like both parents. Because doctors are always involved in high-tech surrogacy in Georgia, there are rules for those who can benefit from it.

Pregnancy care

Pregnancy care is the next step after fertilization has been done and pregnancy has been confirmed. During the next 9 months, a team of specialists should take care of the pregnancy. As surrogacy is considered as a “non physiological pregnancy”, i.e. not natural, the pregnancy care must be an specialized one, with supplementary hormones and other support medicines that will prevent the rejection of the fetus. As there is not genetic link between the surrogate mother and the child she is carrying the risks of miscarriage are somehow higher and must be compensated with additional medical care.

Delivery

The final step of the surrogacy program is delivery. One may think that once the baby is formed there is little risk of complications, but this is not true. As explained previously, surrogacy pregnancy is non-physiological and it needs additional support and specialized care. The IVF clinics are, in 99% of cases, not involved in the delivery of the baby, as this is the task of a maternity hospital. Since there is no connection between the IVF clinic and the maternity hospital, the roll of the Surrogacy Agency is specially important for a successful delivery. In the first place, it is critical to chose a modern maternity hospital with up-to-date technology and ability to take care of the baby if Neonatal Intensive Care is needed for his/her recovery after birth. The cost of prematurity care must be also specified in the contract to avoid surprises as prematurity care involves high expenditures. Pons Medical works with Pineo Medical Ecosystem, the best Maternity House in Georgia, for a successful surrogacy journey.

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