Go Social on Finding out About Surrogate Mothers
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 6.7 million women (or close to 11%) have an impaired ability to get pregnant or carry a baby to full term. This is where a surrogate mother may come in.
Discovering Surrogate Mothers
A surrogate mother is a woman who carries a baby to full term and delivers the baby on the behalf of another couple or person. There are two types of surrogate mothers – traditional and gestational. Traditional surrogates are genetically related to the child, whereas gestational surrogates are not.
Though there aren’t any official statistics on surrogacy, it is estimated that nine children in each state every year are born to a surrogate mother.
Why Might a Woman Use a Surrogate?
There can be many reasons as to why a woman would choose to use a surrogate mother.
The woman may not be able to carry a baby full-term or may have a high-risk pregnancy that puts both the mother and child’s life in danger. The woman may have had a hysterectomy and is not physically able to carry a child, or she may have had unsuccessful attempts at getting pregnant with procedures such as In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).
Finding a Surrogate
Surprisingly, it is possible to find a surrogate mother without the use of a surrogacy agency, thanks to the vast amount of resources available online.
You can join networking groups, surrogacy websites, social media sites and message boards on surrogacy. Websites now will actually connect you to available surrogate mothers once you’re ready to have a child. The same is true for women who want to be a surrogate – you can connect with hopeful parents all over the internet.
You can also choose to go through an agency.
Agencies connect couples and individuals to surrogate mothers all over the country. There are currently over 100 agencies in the United States alone. Agencies do typically charge a higher fee, though, since they’re acting as a third party.
Use Social Media to Find a Surrogate
You’ll want to start by finding websites that will connect you to surrogates in your area.
From there, you can follow those websites on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+. You can also get to know potential surrogate mothers via their own social networking websites.
Finally, you can read stories of the pros and cons of surrogacy, hear personal testimonies, talk with surrogates who have been through it before, and connect with others looking to use a surrogate, and again learn more about just what is a surrogate mother.
Ideally, the surrogate mother you choose will be over 21 years of age, have given birth to a healthy baby at least once before, be willing to take care of her body while pregnant, and be willing to see the appropriate doctors throughout her entire pregnancy.
Before choosing a surrogate, make sure to read up on your particular state’s laws.
Always meet with potential surrogates before deciding. This is someone you’ll be working closely with over the next nine months, so you want to make sure you get along extremely well with that individual.
Of course, the decision to be or use a surrogate is an extremely personal one.
Connect with as many people as you can and hear their stories. Do as much research on surrogacy as you possibly can before making a final decision.
Photo credit: medicaltourismco.com
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