BioTexCom

Who needs surrogacy program?

When a couple gets married, it seems that their life can have two directions. The couple either decides to have a child to become a complete family, or they decide to remain infertile.

For people who want to have children, surrogacy is of help. Surrogacy gives parents a possibility to have their own biological children.

People, who consider surrogacy to be a matter of doubt, have no idea how terribly infertile couples suffer because of the impossibility of having children. Surrogacy process will be successful if it is fulfilled in a high-qualified clinic with good reputation.

So, how exactly is the process fulfilled? First of all, a married couple should make definite analysis. For husband – it is a sperm analysis, and for a wife – the extraction of egg cells.

Then, similarly with the artificial insemination, in laboratory conditions, egg cells are fertilized with sperm. After this, fertilized egg cells are transplanted into the surrogate’s alvus.

There are many reasons why couples choose surrogacy. Some women are not able to bear a child on their own. So, surrogacy is a possibility to have biological children.

Surrogate. Obligatory requirements

Surrogate must be:

A woman, aged 18-35, having one child (minimum), would be an advantage. Major aspects for a surrogate are: her moral and psychic stability, good health parameters and no criminal past. Our clinic is ready to give you our data base with surrogates, based on what you need.

Surrogate. Search procedure.

You can ask your relatives (sister or mother) or your good friends become a surrogate for you. This method is the most reliable for artificial insemination program; however in some cases it can not be used.

You can also search for a surrogate with the help of mass media (advertisements, newspapers, and internet). This method may have problematic consequences:

1. First: publishing an advertisement “Surrogate mother’s services needed” in your local advertisement – is not as simple as it seems because many newspapers refuse to publish such advertisements without any explanation.
2. Secondly: in many cases people do not understand the term “surrogate”, because they have too little knowledge in such a sphere.
3. Third: you will not be well informed about the people, with whom you will discuss such a serious and delicate theme as surrogacy. Subject of artificial insemination is confidential information and it is not recommended to share it with strangers.
4. Fourth: to achieve maximum confidentiality, it is recommended to find a surrogate from the other region or country. We advise you to use the services of experts, for them to be responsible for the surrogate program.

Experts from international surrogate centers will provide you with juridical support, and with a precise information about all aspects of surrogacy; control and organize everything and take care of all the participants of the program; offer the choice of candidates for surrogacy, provide you with comfortable and safe conditions on the infertility treatment via artificial insemination and surrogacy.

You are the one who takes a decision and we wish you to achieve what you desire, become happy parents and have a wonderful child!

Artificial insemination and surrogacy

With the help of our egg donation program our team helps women become pregnant even in their 50s, even after the menopause. Our donors make series of tests, including cerotype and the syndrome of Martin-Bell, which help us receive accurate and precise statistics.

According statistics, many blastocysts can be received from a big quantity of egg cells, so the pregnancy probability is real for women in their 50s. But only one in 10 donors can be that productive. Our clinic tested more than 700 candidates, among which only 70-75 donors have highly productive egg cells.

A. Artificial insemination

1. Childlessness can be caused by men’s astysia or by women’s infertility. Ethically it is estimated whether to use sperm or egg cells of married couples or of donors. Ethical (moral) considerations against homosexual insemination do not arise when both married partners want it.
2. If a wife can not conceive because of her husband’s astysia, transfer of donor’s sperm should be made. Against this matter common ethical items can be arisen:
   1. Even if wife and husband both want it and both agree on donor’s sperm, their relations can spoil in future and this can influence a child. Juridical and genetic problems remain unsolved.
   2. Genetic origin is an important component of personality. Parents are obliged to tell their child about his genetic origin. Due to medical reasons this can turn to be life important. One thing is when a child is unaware of his origin due to his destiny, and another thing is when it happens because of ethical matters.

B. Surrogacy

1. With the help of modern medicine technologies an embryo can be carried by the woman, to whom the egg cell does not belong. If the woman can not become pregnant, than after extracorporal insemination embryo can be transplanted to the alvus of the other woman.
2. Relationships between mother and child during pregnancy influence the personality of the growing child. This is why this influence must be positive.

Examples of artificial fertilization: 

Donor’s sperm is tested for HIV-virus – this is why only a frozen sperm is used – and after only 10 fertilizations. In opposite case, the possibility of incest would be too high. Potential client can see the characteristic and quality of possible sperm donor in the catalogue. After the sperm is chosen, it is taken out from the vessel and it is injected into syringe through a long catheter. After that, sperm is injected to the alvus.

For the successful artificial insemination 5 attempts are used. Sperm’s donor has no right for custody. In Germany situation is different: only a married couple can use sperm from the sperm bank.

Insurance offices partially finance infertility treatment, if it is acknowledged to be a disease. Treatment covers the process from hormonal therapy to artificial fertilization. However, couples that try to have a baby this way are trying for years, what is a great psychological stress. Artificial fertilization will be successful only if egg cell and sperm belongs to the married couple and the attending medical doctor forecasts positive results.

Doctors assume that the quality of sperm decreases with time. Sperm productivity is calculated by the quantity of semen in one milliliter of ejaculate. Average quantity of ejaculate for the last 50 years has decreased from 4ml to 3ml. Semen quantity has also decreased from 113 million to 66. At the same quantity of defective semen has increased. Recommended by international health organization minimal thickness should be 20 million semen, and in 5 million fertilization it is impossible.

Surrogacy. History of uprise

Infertility problem is an inability to have children and further generation, which existed since ancient times. Surrogacy idea emerged long time ago.

First case of surrogacy was described in Old Testament (the Book of Genesis 16) 2 thousand years before Christ. Maid Hagar was invited by Abraham to carry his child as a surrogate, because his wife could not become pregnant.

History knows many cases for the salvation of infertility problem. Slaves and hetaeras were surrogates in many countries of the world.

At that time only “traditional” surrogacy existed. Genetic parents were father and a surrogate, insemination was made naturally.

First successful artificial insemination “Invitro” with following extracorporal fertilization (IVF) happened in England in 1978. As a result, a well-known Louise Braun was a first “test-tube baby”.

IVF appliance, carrying and giving birth to a child by a surrogate (absolute surrogacy, meaning a child has no genetical connection with a surrogate) first was successfully fulfilled in USA in 1986.

During 30 years, since Louise Braun was born, more than two million test-tube babies were born all over the world. This means that more than two million people were given a possibility to overcome an infertility problem, become loving parents of long-awaited child, and give birth to a successor!

Surrogacy in Ukraine

Promulgation of assisted reproductive technologies in Ukraine started in 1980s. First successful extracorporal fertilization (IVF) in Ukraine was fulfilled in Kharkiv. In 1991 with the help of IVF girl Kathy was born.

Surrogacy today

Medical part of surrogacy achieved a great progress and now is on a high level – doctors no more have to make 600 attempts of extracorporal fertilization, as it was with Louisa Braun. Juridical part of surrogacy program in many countries is not regulated enough.

For example, surrogacy is forbidden in Australia, Germany, Norway, Swiss, France, and in several USA states.

In Belgium, Greece, Ireland and Finland using surrogates for infertility treatment is not regulated by law, but it is widespread.

In some countries surrogacy which is not commercial is used, surrogate does not receive payment; advertisement and choosing of a surrogate are forbidden. Such legislations exist in Australia, Great Britain, Denmark, Israel, Spain, Canada, Netherlands, and some USA states.

Surrogacy which is not commercial is available for couples, which can only afford artificial insemination procedure as prices for reproductive medicine are high. At the same time, every person has a right to protect his interests; this is why a surrogate has a right to be paid for her services.

Surrogacy on the material basis is also allowed in the majority of USA states, RSA, Russia, Georgia and Ukraine.

Legislation on surrogacy in our country covers almost all items (surrogacy, insemination, egg/sperm donation, usage of other reproductive methods for infertility treatment). However all legislative questions are complicated and not all notaries are competent enough in all items of this matter.

Surrogacy in Europe

Review of qualitative and quantitative characteristics of population over the past ten years showed that many European countries, first of all Ukraine, are in demographic crisis, which is characterized by downfall of population size, ageing of population and decrease of life expectancy.

According to expert’s calculation, in year 2050, population of Ukraine will be 36 million (in comparison: in 1990s population equaled to 52 million, now – 47 million).

One of demographic crisis reason in Europe and Ukraine is a high percentage of infertility – every fifth-sixth couple is infertile. At the same time, due to the success of contemporary reproductive medicine – infertility can be cured.
The only obstacle for solving the infertility problem in Ukraine is a high cost of assisted reproductive technologies, by expert’s calculation only 3-4% of people can afford it. Quality of Ukrainian reproductive medicine clinics is by no means an obstacle for the increase of birth rate, moreover it corresponds the highest international and European standards.
Many leading western countries due to high prices for reproductive technologies, (husband’s/donor’s sperm insemination, invitro fertilization – IVF, Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection – ICSI, egg donation, surrogacy, embryo freeze, sperm bank) finance sterile couples publicly-funded.

In USA, depending on state, medical insurance covers infertility treatment completely or partially (however, there are exceptions – in some states insurance covers only simple treatment methods, and does not cover artificial insemination).

In Israel, government allocates funds for IVF cycle (invitro fertilization), both for couples (including lesbians) and single women. Number of attempts for women in age under 45 is unlimited, and they are financed until the patient has his own children.

There are many artificial insemination centers in Italy, both public and private (in Rome there are circa 57 clinics). In some provinces treatment is paid by government.

Surrogacy – gift of contemporary medicine

Term “surrogacy” is used when a woman is giving her alvus to give birth to a baby instead of another woman. This is a possibility for fertility-challenged couples have their own child. With the help of such gift of contemporary medicine homosexual couples and single women can make their dream come true.
Future parents need surrogacy for many reasons: numerous miscarriages, hysterectomy, hypertension, heart and liver diseases, etc.

There are two kinds of surrogacy: absolute and incomplete. Incomplete surrogate mother is the one who carries a child with the help of her egg cell. Surrogate mother’s egg cell is conceived by father’s sperm or donor’s sperm through artificial insemination. Absolute surrogate mother is neither genetically nor biologically connected with the child. Surrogate mother is inseminated via artificial insemination, one or several embryos, received from parent’s
(Donor’s) egg cell and sperm are implanted into the alvus.
Surrogacy is considered to be one of the most expensive ways of infertility solution. Not every couple can afford it. In highly-developed countries the cost of surrogacy program equals 60-100 thousand US dollars. In developing countries, such as India the cost is much lower.
The attitude to surrogacy in different countries is controversial. In Switzerland, Denmark and Swiss surrogacy is forbidden; in Spain it is allowed, however the surrogate contracts are of no force. In Belgium and Greece surrogacy is allowed. In USA surrogacy is widespread among homosexual couples. Surrogacy is also allowed in Great Britain, Israel, Georgia, Australia, Spain and Netherlands. Since 2002 surrogacy and surrogacy combined with egg cells/sperm donation became legal. Surrogacy is regulated by article 123 Ukrainian family law and Ukrainian Ministry of Health, directive 771. According to law, donor or surrogate has no paternity right for the child. New born is a legal child of future parents.