A pregnancy, although a joyous occasion, can also be equally stressful. Expectant parents, anxious to ensure the health and well-being of their unborn child, might undertake a lot of steps such as regularly consulting an OB/GYN, getting a DNA test during pregnancy and more. In spite of all these stressors and additional precautions, most expectant parents will sail through their pregnancy without any major hitches. 

However, a certain section of the population is actually unable to conceive a child due to one or multiple factors that might be genetic, medical or accidental. In such cases, these bereaved couples or individuals have a few options at their disposal, one of them being gestational surrogacy.

What is gestational surrogacy?

Gestational surrogacy is a process wherein a surrogate carries the child for another couple. However, the egg does not belong to the surrogate. It might either belong to the intended mother or it could be from a different donor. Similarly, the sperm might be collected from the actual father or a willing donor. 

In this manner, gestational surrogacy differs significantly from its traditional counterpart, where the surrogate donates her own eggs and carries the child to term, whereas the sperm can come from a donor or the intended father. The bottom line is, that the surrogate tends to be the biological mother of the child. Even after written and verbal agreements between both parties, traditional surrogacy can create difficult legal and emotional situations for families. However, with gestational surrogacy, these complications can be avoided altogether. 

Are you a right fit for gestational surrogacy?

To be a right fit for this procedure, you need to first examine if you fall into any of the following categories:

• You or your spouse has health complications that prevent you from carrying the pregnancy to term.
• You or your spouse or both suffer from infertility issues, leading to trouble in conception or causing frequent miscarriages.
• You and your spouse are a same-sex couple and wish to have children of your own.
• If you are single but still desire a biological child.

Therefore, with a basic understanding of gestational surrogacy, you can now make a more informed choice depending on your situation.

You can rely on the Prenatal Genetics Laboratory for performing safe and accurate DNA tests on your unborn child. Our lab boasts research specialists who have decades of knowledge and experience in human DNA diagnostics. Get in touch with us today to learn about everything we can do for you.