Through collaboration with a surrogate, prospective parents can realize their aspirations of becoming parents despite encountering the intricacies of medical hurdles.
In recent times, surrogacy has emerged as a feasible choice for individuals and couples encountering various medical obstacles on their path to parenthood. While Indian surrogacy laws have recently been amended to permit couples to utilize donor cells and for widowed and divorced women to pursue surrogacy, it represents a lifeline for countless individuals grappling with infertility.
In essence, surrogacy entails the surrogate mother carrying the fetus of another couple or individual until conception, as defined by Yale Medicine. This process involves a woman becoming pregnant through in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Dr. Rita Bakshi, Senior Gynaecologist & IVF Expert at RiSAA IVF, explained to the OnlyMyHealth team that although surrogacy is commonly linked with infertility, there exist several medical conditions beyond infertility where surrogacy may be recommended as a viable avenue to parenthood.
Under what circumstances is surrogacy advised
Dr. Bakshi emphasized, “Surrogacy provides couples or individuals with the opportunity to establish families, granting them the ethical and legal means to have children. It’s an immensely hopeful journey for those longing for biological offspring.”
While surrogacy presents hope for same-sex couples and single mothers (although not legally permitted in India yet), Dr. Bakshi noted that certain medical conditions pose significant challenges to pregnancy:
Infertility Due to Uterine Factors
Uterine factor infertility pertains to situations in which a woman’s uterus is either absent, malformed, or incapable of supporting a pregnancy through embryo implantation. As outlined in MDPI’s Journal of Clinical Medicine, this condition can arise from various factors including congenital absence of the uterus, uterine malformations, or a history of hysterectomy.
Repeated Miscarriages
Experts from the Columbia School of Medicine have identified several factors that could contribute to recurrent pregnancy loss:
1. Chromosomal abnormalities
2. Autoimmune disorders
3. Untreated hypothyroidism
4. Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus
5. Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS)
Utilizing a surrogate allows intended parents to mitigate the risks associated with carrying a pregnancy themselves, thereby enhancing the likelihood of a successful pregnancy and the birth of a healthy baby.
Maternal Health Issues
Specific maternal health conditions like severe heart disease, diabetes, or autoimmune disorders can present considerable risks to both the mother and the fetus during pregnancy. In such instances, choosing surrogacy enables intended parents to safeguard the health and welfare of both the child and the biological mother by entrusting a surrogate to carry the pregnancy to full term.
Severe Endometriosis
As per the World Health Organization, endometriosis refers to a condition wherein tissue resembling the uterine lining grows beyond the uterus, potentially leading to infertility and complications during pregnancy. In instances of severe endometriosis where carrying a pregnancy to full term may endanger the mother or impact conception success, surrogacy presents an alternative solution.
Surrogacy emerges as a crucial option for individuals and couples grappling with diverse medical conditions that impede their ability to conceive, sustain a pregnancy, or ensure a favorable outcome for both the child and the biological mother. Collaborating with a surrogate enables intended parents to realize their aspirations of parenthood while navigating the intricacies of medical challenges under the guidance of fertility specialists and reproductive health experts.