Gestational Surrogacy Pros and Cons
Gestational surrogacy is an excellent option to fulfill many different types of intended parents’ dreams of having children. However, there are pros and cons associated with the gestational surrogacy process, just as there are with every option for growing your family. When deciding which of these options best meets your family’s goals, it is important to consider many different aspects of them. Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado will outline gestational surrogacy pros and cons to help you decide whether or not it could be the best option for your family.
Gestational Surrogacy Pros and Cons
When considering different options for growing your family, gestational surrogacy has many benefits that tend to outweigh any disadvantages. However, even with the many pros, there are also some cons that should be considered by intended parents before making the decision to go with gestational surrogacy.
- Pro: Gestational surrogacy allows intended parents to have children of their own.
Gestational surrogacy is made possible by gestational carriers who enter into agreements with intended parents to carry their children to term for them. This is a huge benefit to intended parents who may be in same sex relationships, dealing with infertility, health concerns age or who are single parents. Because these types of intended parents often cannot have children of their own, gestational surrogacy can provide them with the life-changing experience of raising a child of their own.
- Con: Intended parents don’t have full control over the pregnancy.
Some intended parents may feel that not having full control over the gestational carrier’s pregnancy may be difficult. Gestational carriers have the right to make their own self-care choices during the pregnancy and are continuing to live their own lives. However, intended parents who are very concerned about these choices can discuss them with their gestational carrier prior to the pregnancy and mention these in the surrogacy contract that they negotiate. There are options for intended parents who are worried, even if not having full control may seem like a disadvantage of gestational surrogacy.
- Pro: Intended parents can maintain a genetic link with their children.
Because gestational surrogacy involves the implantation of an embryo into the gestational carrier, intended parents are able to maintain a genetic link with their children. If you are an intended parent who wants your child to be biologically related to you, gestational surrogacy is a great option that allows just that. As long as the intended parents’ sperm and/or eggs, respectively, are used in the IVF process, the child who is born will be genetically linked to them. Other options of growing your family may not allow your child to be biologically related to you, but gestational surrogacy does.
- Con: The gestational surrogacy process may be complex.
There are many different factors that must be taken into account during the gestational surrogacy process. With details such as finding a match between intended parents and gestational carriers, surrogacy contracts, medical procedures and more, there is a lot to keep in mind. However, Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado is here to help you navigate the process and can aid intended parents keep track of everything being done to ensure a smooth experience for both intended parents and gestational carriers.
- Pro: Gestational carriers and intended parents may form long-lasting relationships.
With the gestational surrogacy process, intended parents and gestational carriers will be working together to meet intended parents’ goals for a significant amount of time. If both parties decide they are interested in maintaining contact, the relationship between intended parents and gestational carriers can be very rewarding. Because gestational carriers are helping to make intended parents’ dream of having children come true, they often hope to express their gratitude.
- Con: The medical processes can take longer.
Because gestational surrogacy involves the use of IVF, medical processes associated with gestational surrogacy can take a bit longer. Intended parents who are dealing with infertility may have trouble getting viable embryos. However, gestational surrogacy supports the use of sperm and/or egg donors, so there are still many options. In the end, while medical processes could take longer, it will be worth it when welcoming a child into the world.
Deciding if Gestational Surrogacy is Right for You
There are many different options for every intended parent to consider when trying to grow their family. Gestational surrogacy is one excellent option for intended parents, but still has both pros and cons. At Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado, we would love to aid in exploring your options along with deciding which one could be the best for your family. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us for more information on gestational surrogacy, or if you think it may be a good fit for your family.
If you are interested in surrogacy and want to learn more about your options, contact Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado by email, phone, or text: Email Us, Call us: 720-371-1099, Call or Text us: 303-670-4673 (HOPE). If you are hoping to adopt, please contact us here.
Meet the Author: Ashley Nies is an undergraduate student at Stanford University who is studying Human Biology and Political Science. Ashley is largely interested in various aspects of health and healthcare, and writes about these topics. She has taken classes on rhetoric, ethics and social media in health, as well as other creative writing classes during her freshman year at Stanford.
Ashley is from Las Vegas, Nevada, and considers herself to be fun-loving and adventurous. She values the importance of combining STEM with liberal arts education and hopes to integrate these in her writing.
Stephanie joined the Adoption Choices family in 2014 as the Child Placement Supervisor. Her love for adoption began in first grade when she made friends with twins adopted from Vietnam. Her heart grew strong over the years for adopted children and ultimately led her to graduate school where she continued her focus to her dream of working in the adoption field. Stephanie earned a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver in 2001. Over the past 15 years, Stephanie has worked as a pregnancy counselor and as an adoptive parent counselor for foster care, international adoption and domestic adoption, writing hundreds of home studies for families, and helping build their forever families. Stephanie is married and has three boys ages 12, 9, and 5. Together with her family she enjoys riding bike, playing games, watching her three sons compete in their various sporting and musical activities and go on vacations.
Christy Ikeler, is our Executive Director and Birth Parent Director. Christy has been with Adoption Choices Team for 18 years, since opening the doors in 2002! Christy has a true passion for what she does and her true love is working with and helping each birth parent. Whether she is up all night on the phone talking with them, taking them to doctors appointments, out for their favorite treat, providing counseling or at the hospital during labor and delivery, Christy is very involved every step of the way. She has a contagious laugh and a spunky personality that our birth moms all can bond with and relate to. As an adoptive parent herself, adoption holds a very special place in her heart and she can relate on every level with both birth parents and adoptive parents. In her free time Christy loves spending time with her daughter, gardening, baking and taking vacations with her family. Christy is an excellent leader for our team at Adoption Choices and is truly one of a kind!! As Executive Director, Christy spends time with the staff, birth parents and adoptive families in order to ensure that the agency is running smoothly. She has placed a huge emphasis on community outreach and programs for birth parents. Christy loves the opportunity to lead the agency into a brighter future.
Ms. Mackenzie has built a successful counseling career over the past 20 years, supporting mothers and families, people of all ages and genders, students, community professionals and fellow clinicians. Liv values a diverse professional focus, including the entrepreneurial life of a sole proprietor, the evaluative process of certifying foster/adoptive homes, the insightful and mindful one-on-one one work with enthusiastic clients, and serving as an advocate for underserved populations. Liv is a Licensed Professional Counselor and holds a BA in Pre-Law and Economics from American University, an MA in Counseling from Adams University and a certificate in Human Resource Management from Villanova University. Away from work you will find Liv spending time in nature, biking to the farmer’s market and adventuring with her family.
Catherine A. Madsen, joined the Adoption Choices family as legal counsel in 2013. Catherine is responsible for providing legal guidance to the Agency, training and updating staff on developments in adoption law and legislation, and program development. Catherine
Virginia Frank is an adoption attorney accredited since 1991 with the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys. Ms. Frank is a leader in the field of private adoption and has completed over 4,000 adoptions in her career. Ms. Frank has a law degree from Oklahoma City University and a BA in both Political Science and Communications from the University of Oklahoma.
Cassidie has been with Adoption Choices since 2015, she has her bachelors in Interdisciplinary Affairs with concentrations in both Sociology and Business Management. Cassidie has additional training in Victim Advocacy, foster care and has been working in women’s services for over 10 years. Cassidie has always had a heart for adoption and it was her career dream to work in adoption. She started off doing volunteer work for advocacy programs, adoption organizations and worked in High Risk Maternal Fetal Medicine through the University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Colorado. Cassidie is also blessed to have personally experienced an adoption of her own in 2012, completing her family of five! Cassidie loves what she does as a case worker from initial phone calls, meetings, doctor appointments, interaction with the adoptive families to delivery and counseling. Cassidie has a passion for those in need and strives to help make a difference in the lives of the people she meets. She is a firm believer in being kind, compassionate and open minded in all situations. “Unless you’ve walked in their shoes, there’s no place for judgment. A kind word or compliment can go a long way!” The bittersweet moments in adoption reminds Cassidie each and every time, why she loves what she does!