Reasons why people might go for surrogacy

 

Before we dig deeper into the reasons why people might go for surrogacy, let us understand the concept of surrogacy first.

Surrogacy is a kind of assisted reproduction that is backed by a legal agreement. Speaking of the procedure of surrogacy, it involves a gestational surrogate (a female) who, as per the terms, will carry and care for the baby(ies) of the intended parents, until birth.

There can be several reasons why people choose it, let’s understand them.

Infertility

One of the major reasons why people go for assisted reproduction like IVF or surrogacy process is because of infertility, which has become quite a common issue in India. Today, around 10-15 per cent of married couples in India are facing this issue. Couples who face difficulty getting pregnant naturally, despite having unprotected intercourse for over a year, are often left with choices like IVF, IUI, ICSI, PGD, and gestational surrogacy.

Age

Age is a critical factor if we take into consideration a woman’s ability to conceive and carry a child. As the age increases gradually, the likelihood of getting pregnant decreases significantly. In most cases, when the age of a woman crosses the mark of forty, she’s likely to face difficulty in conceiving naturally. In this scenario, she is left with assisted reproductive technology like IVF or surrogacy process.

Pre-existing health conditions

Besides infertility and age factor, a woman may not conceive naturally or sustain the pregnancy for the full term due to some pre-existing health conditions. These conditions include kidney problems, heart diseases, uterine problems, and so on. Further, because of pre-existing health complications, most women might be on medications that may deter or impact their fertility levels significantly.

Problems with previous pregnancies

In case a woman hasn’t had a good experience with pregnancy in the past, it is likely to discourage her from pursuing pregnancy again. Due to complications involved in the past pregnancy, some women may develop post-traumatic stress disorder and , sustaining pregnancy again can be quite challenging. In this scenario, the woman may choose to go for surrogacy.

So, these are some of the many reasons why people choose to go for surrogacy.