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Will YOU Have My Baby?

A Surrogacy Q&A with Sharon LaMothe

A surrogate is a unique type of woman who is willing to be impregnated using IVF or intrauterine insemination (IUI) procedures and will carry a baby for intended parents in order for them to complete their family.

There are two types of surrogacy: traditional and gestational. Traditional is where a woman offers to use her own eggs and carry the child as well for her intended parents. This procedure is done in a doctor's office through IUI. There is obviously a biological connection. A gestational surrogacy is when the egg is fertilized outside the body and then, through the IVF procedure, the embryos are transferred into the gestational surrogate.

There are many ways to locate a surrogate. I am not advocating all these ways, but all have been done in the past:

• Ask a family member or friend to carry your child for you.
• Tell friends and family that you are looking for a surrogate, and find one through word of mouth.
• Search the Web. There are several places online that have women advertising to assist infertile couples through surrogacy.
• Contact a clinic or attorney and get referrals to an agency/matching service, or contact an agency directly.

There are several steps that need to be taken before and after you locate your surrogate. Before your search, you need to have an idea of how much the entire process is going to cost and then asses your financial situation. You need to know if you are going to be using your eggs or need an egg donor. Do you know the laws in your state, or do you need to go to another state? Do you have a clinic to assist you and an attorney to assist you with contracts?

After you have educated yourself on these issues, you need to have your surrogate medically and psychologically screened through the clinic of your choice. Contracts need to be drawn up, and support needs to be in place for the rest of the surrogacy pregnancy.

Want to see more?

• The Surrogacy Search: Starting Out
• Check out our Article Library.
• Gift-Giver: Profile of a Surrogate Mother
• Strong Enough: One Woman's Brush with Surrogacy
• Talk about it!

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