When a person or couple wants to experience parenthood but doesn’t have the biological means to do so, it can elicit feelings of sadness and despair. Fortunately, there are ways these wonderful would-be parents can still experience the joy of parenthood. One of those ways is surrogacy.
A surrogacy process is a beautiful option for all parties involved in the process. For the intended parents, they get the answer to their dream. For the surrogate mother, it gives them an opportunity to be of caring service to some very deserving people.
To be clear, the surrogacy definition is, according to the Free Dictionary by Farlax: “A woman who carries a fertilized embryo formed from another woman’s egg to term—completion of pregnancy—and is expected to release the infant to the genetic parents upon delivery.”
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The Benefits of Gestational Surrogacy
As we insinuated above, the gestational surrogacy process brings a lot of joy to a lot of people. Not many things in this world can do that anymore. Aside from the pure joy provided by the surrogacy process, all parties involved received other measurable benefits. That means benefits for both the intended parents and the surrogate mother.
Benefits for Intended Parents
When analyzing the benefits of gestational surrogacy for the intended parents, something becomes very clear. A great majority of the benefits are emotional and mental. Here is a partial list of the ways an intended parent or parents benefit from surrogacy:
- While surrogacy might cost more than adoption, it requires far less red tape and more people qualify
- In many cases, at least one parent will have a genetic connection to the child
- The intended mother doesn’t have to endure the physical strain of pregnancy
- Surrogacy allows the intended parents to have a “front-row” seat to the pregnancy and birth
- The intended parents get a chance to bond with their caring surrogate
- Intended parents get a lot of say in who they choose for the process
- Intended parents get the chance for parenthood they might not otherwise get
Benefits for the Surrogate Mother
For the surrogate, the benefits are quite different. While there is some emotional and mental satisfaction they will get from serving others, there is also surrogate compensation or monetary benefits they get. Keeping this in mind, here is a partial list of the ways a surrogate benefits from surrogacy:
- They get a deep sense of satisfaction that they might not experience in any other way
- They get to create a bond with future caring parents. It might lead to future involvement with the child
- They get a chance to set a loving and caring example for family and friends
- Surrogates who enjoy pregnancy can experience it yet again without growing their own family
- The surrogate compensation can help resolve future financial issues like college for the surrogate’s family
- Surrogates often enjoy the highest levels of healthcare while going through the process
Whether you would be an intended parent or a surrogate, you should strongly consider the above benefits while making your final decision. By doing so, you will find your way to the answer that is right for you.