Choosing Between Egg Donation and Surrogacy: what’s Right for You?
Making the decision to create a family is a thrilling and very personal process. However, for some couples, the road to parenthood can be difficult owing to a variety of factors, such as infertility or medical issues. In these situations, assisted reproductive technologies like egg donation and surrogacy can provide hope and the opportunity to experience parenthood’s pleasures. Surrogate mother costs, egg donor repayment, and agency fees are relatively in the same financial category, but some other aspects differ a lot ‒ which is why it’s important to evaluate every single one of them and make an informed decision.
When making an educated selection, it is critical to understand the distinctions between these two opportunities.
What is egg donation?
Egg donation is a procedure in which a woman gives her eggs to assist another person or couple in becoming pregnant. Individuals or couples that have concerns with egg quality, limited ovarian reserve, or genetic abnormalities that they do not want to pass on to their kids generally choose this option.
Egg donation involves removing eggs from a donor via an in vitro fertilization (IVF) medical technique. The eggs are then fertilized using the recipient’s partner’s or a gestational carrier’s sperm and transported to the recipient’s or a gestational carrier’s uterus for pregnancy.
Who might want to use egg donor services?
Couples who can’t conceive on their own can always consider using an egg donor. These include:
- Women who can’t produce viable eggs or have experienced multiple unsuccessful IVF cycles may choose to use an egg donor.
- Couples with known genetic disorders may choose an egg donor to avoid passing on the condition to their child.
Couples with high risks for pregnancy also can use egg donor services.
What is surrogacy?
Surrogacy is a form of assisted reproduction in which a woman bears and gives birth to a child on behalf of another person. The surrogate mother’s own egg is fertilized with the intended father’s or donor’s sperm in conventional surrogacy.
However, gestational surrogacy, which is more often practiced nowadays, entails implanting an embryo generated from the intended parents’ eggs and sperm or donor gametes into the surrogate’s uterus. The surrogate has no genetic ties to the kid she is carrying.
Who might want to use surrogacy services?
Couples that have difficulty carrying a pregnancy to term can also explore surrogacy. It’s also an option for couples where a woman has certain medical conditions that make carrying a pregnancy dangerous or difficult, such as uterine abnormalities or repeated pregnancy loss.
Surrogacy is also great for couples with a history of unsuccessful IVF cycles.
Trying out both options
Intended parents might have to work with both an egg donor and a surrogate in some situations. A woman who is unable to generate viable eggs but has a healthy uterus, for example, can choose to use an egg donor and carry the pregnancy herself. If both spouses are unable to conceive or deliver a baby, they can work with both an egg donor and a surrogate.
The choice between egg donation and surrogacy is ultimately determined by the intended parents’ individual circumstances, choices, and medical conditions. Fertility doctors in the surrogacy agency, reproductive counselors, and legal professionals that specialize in assisted reproduction can give vital assistance and support throughout the decision-making process.
Couples that want to have a family but are unable to do so have hope thanks to egg donation and surrogacy. Surrogacy allows them to experience the joy of parenthood with the assistance of a gestational carrier, whereas egg donation allows for genetic ties. Depending on the circumstances, some intended parents might need the help of both an egg donor and a surrogate.
In the end, it’s crucial to make an informed choice that matches your wishes and circumstances.
