Most common questions and ethical issues surrounding surrogate mothers

Commercial surrogacy is the process in which a mother will offer her own uterus to get transferred embryos from another couple, due to different problems such as infertility, old age, social issues and more. In such cases, a couple decides to resort to surrogacy to give life to their own child. We are trying to answer some of the most common questions on surrogate mothers.

So what exactly happens when the surrogate mother gives birth?

Once the surrogate mother has given birth, she will renounce all the rights and obligations that she would have over the baby, and the intended parents become the legal guardians of the new born kid by all means.

Where did the surrogate gestation start from and how safe is it?
The surrogacy process originally began to take place in the US and this process is highly safe, for both for the mother and the child. For a candidate to finally gestate a baby for the Intended Parents, she must go through a large number of evaluations where she will finally be selected by a specialized surrogate gestation agency.

The surrogate mother, is it really important?
The surrogate mother is the most important part of the surrogacy process, as she is the one who will make your dream of becoming a parent come true. The surrogate mother is the person who gives birth to the baby that you so eagerly wish.

How do I find and select a surrogate mother?
Pons Medical Research helps you with that and helps you manage the relationship throughout the journey. Some clients are matched with a surrogate within days and others take some weeks’ time when they are looking for surrogate mother. We give you profiles to review and decide whom you would like to proceed with for your surrogate mother process.

Is the surrogate mother genetically linked to the baby?
No. There is no genetic connection between the baby and the surrogate mother. This is because the egg from which the baby is born is taken from a donor. In that case there is no possibility that the surrogate mother has any genetic connection with the baby.

How is the optimal surrogate mother evaluated?

Specialized surrogacy companies like Pons Medical Research take great care when choosing the optimal surrogate mother. The recruiting agency carries out a prior evaluation, as well as a medical, psychological, social background assessment (“compulsory” surrogate pregnancy is not allowed, it must be voluntary and consensual), with an obstetric review, among other things for completing the surrogate mother process.

What women cannot be chosen to be surrogate mothers?
Women who are in social exclusion, drug addiction, women with different medical problems, and women with some problems linked to the fact that the surrogacy process cannot be completed correctly will not be eligible to be surrogate mothers.

How do you choose the best surrogate mother for your baby?

In order to choose the perfect surrogate mother, you must do your research and prepare a questionnaire. We must not forget that the choice of the surrogate mother is a difficult and delicate process for intended parents when they are looking for surrogate mother. In this way, the affinity of ideas between the person or couple and the surrogate mother will become a lot easier.

What role does the surrogate mother play in the surrogacy process?

The surrogate mothers are women with a great will to get pregnant and gestate the child that will make other people or families happy; this is a sign of devotion and generosity when getting a surrogate.
The surrogate mothers will not normally have any kind of biological connection with the future child, the surrogate mother is simply the “incubator” that will take care of the fetus and give it affection during the 9 months the pregnancy lasts.

What is the profile of a surrogate mother?

The most common profile of surrogate mothers varies according to the country where they come from. For example, in Georgia, the majority of women who wishes to become substitute mothers are women with a medium socioeconomic status, who have no infertility issues and see the surrogacy as a way to achieve some personal goals and at the same time help other people to be parents.
When reputed surrogacy agencies during getting a surrogate contact women, who are ready to be a surrogate, the mothers who rent their womb are recognized with total naturalness, and they are generally mothers who are capable of fulfilling several requirements in order to provide the best service.

In most cases, surrogate mothers are married, with children and stable work. These are the people who want to be surrogate mothers, for some specific reason.

What if the Surrogate Mother changes her mind after the delivery and wants to keep the child?

Georgia is one of the very few countries where surrogacy is legal. Surrogates in Georgia have no parental rights over the child. Thus, a surrogate mother cannot refuse to hand over the baby if she changes her mind after birth.

How many attempts can we have with the one surrogate mother?

This will be stated in the surrogacy agreement and depending upon what the surrogate mother agrees to but is usually a maximum of 3 attempts and then we change the surrogate mother.

What happens if the surrogate mother’s life is at risk during the pregnancy?

In all countries the doctors will do what is necessary to save her life or minimize the risk to her. However, if situation still goes worse, this usually means a termination of the pregnancy.

What series of professionals will intervene in the process of maternal surrogacy?

For a process of maternal surrogacy to be carried out, the below professionals are needed.

#1 The surrogacy agency: The agency in the process of surrogating is going to have a fundamental role since it will be responsible for finding the right surrogate mother for you.

Once the person or the couple has found the right surrogate mother, the agency will also accompany the pregnant mother for her visits to the gynecologist, group meetings with the psychologist, and If necessary, meetings with nutritionists.
On the other hand, the agency also helps the intended parents so they can complete the necessary documentation to return the baby to their own country.
The agency should ideally work with lawyers who have specialization in the field of surrogacy and family law and have prior experience in this field.

The surrogacy agency will also supervise the entire process during the course of the pregnancy so that it meets the optimal requirements.

#2 Fertility Clinic: Fertility clinics in the surrogacy process have three functions, evaluating both the candidates (surrogate mothers and the egg donors), in vitro fertilization, and other genetic evaluations. Once that the pregnancy is confirmed, they supervise it during the first 3 months, then the pregnant mother will go to see the gynecologist for the evaluation and supervision of the rest of the pregnancy and future delivery.

What functions will you have to look after fundamentally?

The lawyers will draft private contracts between the surrogate mother and the Intended Parents. This documentation will have two copies, one will be for the intended parents, and the second will be for the surrogate mother, in this way it is guaranteed that both names and surnames of the intended parents will be in the documentation of the baby at the time of the baby’s discharge.

When will intended parents enjoy total custody of the child?
The physical and legal custody of the child is assumed immediately after the birth, at that point the intended parents themselves will have full legal responsibility for their children.