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Be it surrogacy or an egg donor search, the path to parenthood for the intended mother is as trying as it is rewarding. Choosing between the two is the foremost and usually the most challenging emotional decision she will have to make.
WHAT IS EGG DONATION?
When an intended mother does not hold viable eggs but can still carry a child, she can choose an egg donor to make an embryo that the intended mother will have.
Certain fertility clinics and agencies also offer the intended parents to decide whether they want an anonymous donor or someone they can get to know. As the name suggests, an anonymous egg donor and intended parents will never interact with each other. The latter get enough chances to speak freely before any legal contract is authenticated.
WHAT IS SURROGACY?
This is contrary to the former. Here, the intended mother is incapable of carrying the embryo but can produce viable eggs. In such a situation, the intended mother can create the embryo with her eggs and search for a surrogate mother who can carry and deliver the baby.
Surrogacy allows the intended mother to establish a biological bond with her child. Surrogacy is a complex and lengthy process that can extend to a year or more. It is best for any intended parents to carefully select their surrogate as she will carry their future baby and be responsible for its well-being until the delivery.
Unlike an egg donor search that ends with selecting a donor, surrogacy relationships are different and intimate. It is an emotionally and physically trying time for the surrogate; intended couples are advised to be supportive and not too to demand with the birth mother.
INDEPENDENT VS. AGENCY SURROGACY
An essential factor to consider if you have chosen surrogacy is whether you will proceed with it on your own or with the help of a professional.
AGENCY SURROGACY
An agency will facilitate the surrogate and intended parents from the start to the surrogacy procedure. The role of an agency is limited to an exclusive egg donor search process. Under surrogacy, the agency is responsible for every interaction between both the parties involved. Screening, matching, contact mediation, legal compensation, parentage, and so on. All is taken care of by the service provider.
INDEPENDENT SURROGACY
The surrogate and the intended parents do not hire the services of any professional mediator. In such a situation, they usually work with a surrogacy lawyer and a fertility clinic throughout the procedure.
Sometimes intended parents are already familiar with someone, generally, a family member or friend, who can be their surrogate. It is quite similar to an egg donor search without the help of any fertility clinic. In such a scenario, the parents only need a clinic to take them through the medical and legal aspects. Independent surrogacy is also a feasible option for intended parents who have financial limitations.
To sum it up, while the choice of egg donation and surrogacy is mostly not controllable by the intended mother/parents, the decision of taking the assistance of a surrogacy service provider sure is. In an ideal situation, irrespective of it being an egg donor search or surrogacy, it is best to let experienced professionals handle it all.
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