Surrogacy is a method of reproduction whereby a woman agrees to become pregnant and deliver a child for a contracted party. She may be the child's genetic mother, or she may, as a gestational carrier, carry the pregnancy to delivery after having been implanted with an embryo, the latter being an illegal medical procedure in some jurisdictions.

Surrogacy offers parents the ability to have biological children. The baby can be genetically theirs. It simply grows inside another woman's body.

Couples who have tried unsuccessfully for years to start a family may feel that they are running out of time. The IVF process allows for implanting more than one embryo, giving the couple a chance at more than one baby from one surrogate pregnancy.

Still surrogacy is a very controversial subject. Some religious organizations forbid their members from participating in surrogacy, no matter how desperate they are to have a child. Whatever the reason that couples might consider surrogacy, they must carefully weigh the pros and cons before proceeding. There are different factors that people who are considering surrogacy have to go through, from the time to decide whether they would go forward with it, to choosing the surrogate mother, the procedures involved, the fees required and the overall time frame. Each of these factors has its own pros and cons.

Most couples would prefer gestational surrogacy because the surrogate mother is not the supplier of the egg. The man's sperm and the woman's egg go through a process known as IVF, or in vitro fertilization. The surrogate mother receives the fertilized egg through implantation. The advantage of this procedure is that the surrogate mother is less likely to have an attachment similar to traditional surrogacy since she is merely a carrier and not a donor. The disadvantage mainly lies in the medically invasive procedure, which can be painful for the surrogate mother.

One of the biggest myths about surrogacy is that most surrogates will not give up the baby. In most cases, surrogates already have children of their own, and it is the love for their own children that makes women want to give other couples that same opportunity to experience parenthood. A surrogate generally enters the arrangement knowing that the baby she will carry belongs to the intended parents.

The success rate of surrogacy cannot be determined because it is dependent on many factors. The first successful gestational surrogacy took place in 1985. Other forms of surrogacy have existed since Biblical times.

Costs

Surrogacy fees include medical fees, agency fees, fees paid to the surrogate mother, fees to purchase the needs of the surrogate mother, legal fees and adoption fees. Surrogacy can put many couples through financial hardship. In addition, medical insurance may not cover the fertilization process and certainly would not cover the delivery by the surrogate mother. Some costs may be tax-deductible. To be certain, couples should consult with a tax adviser. If a family member offers to do it for free or for a minimal cost to cover the hospital charges only, the price is greatly decreased.

Time Frame

Calculating the time frame for couples does not only start from the actual pregnancy stage. Time spent on researching options, numerous attempts at fertilization and waiting for the baby to arrive all add up. Moreover, if you also add the time it takes most couples to save enough money and go through the legal process of adopting the child later, the process may take several years. The advantage through it all is that in the end, no matter how long and tedious the process is, they will finally become parents.

Policy

There is no national policy concerning the issue of surrogacy. Each country has reached its own legal approach to this comparatively new procreation procedure. The surrogacy laws differ from it being a criminal offence to states that have their own surrogacy laws. Surrogacy laws as rules are designed to protect women from exploitation and were born out of regard for the biological fathers as well as the birth mothers.

Surrogacy laws as rules are designed to protect women from exploitation and were born out of regard for the biological fathers as well as the birth mothers. Today, cases that shape the laws beg the question whether a contract or deal can be binding and can a female sign a deal for custody not yet conceived with informed consent. Also, can money be given to a female for the services of reproduction, but not for the final product of surrogacy? These problems are morally and legally bewildering at best and while legislative authority drops every thing to keep up with the ever changing needs of reproduction and its supporters, many countries are left with laws that want the parents to rake over their own child and other acts which seem to compose very little wisdom at first blush.

There is not both the legislation and the approved policy concerning surrogacy laws in most countries. The question of general surrogacy laws was considered in the Council of Europe, but only at a level of the separate states. There are complex legal questions connected to the issue of alternative reproduction technology and that is reflected in the variety of approaches to this problem on the part of the regional organizations and the national states.

The adopted national surrogacy laws and policy vary from an absolute prohibition of surrogacy up to the establishment of the complex legal base that was called on to account the rights and the interests of all parties.

In connection with the different moral, legal, and religious aspects of the given question, national legislators and a policy of most of the countries limit surrogacy. In some counties like France and Germany, it is forbidden completely. In other countries, only commercial agreements on surrogacy are forbidden and the consideration of judicial claims under some agreements is not supposed. Such situations are in Canada, Israel, Great Britain, and Australia. Lastly, the third countries limit the use of reproductive technologies in connection with surrogacy. These countries are Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Of course, conception in a test tube or other experimentation with human genetic materials transforms children into goods that can be bought and sold on the open market. This creates a situation in which rich people can employ women for child bearing. Therefore motherhood becomes contractual work in which the aspiration of personal benefit prevails. There is no sense of forbidding surrogacy with surrogacy laws. It is possible that such a situation as what happened with abortion will happen in these countries. If it is impossible legally, surrogacy and abortion will be conducted in secret.

Therefore, if you can't have a baby, there are many ways to get a child. For example, there is surrogacy and adoption. But, most countries have no surrogacy laws yet.