I hate the phrase “rent-a-womb.”

Surrogacy is growing as a viable method for couples to grow their families and I know these families.
I know their stories.

I know the women who agree to carry children on behalf of these couples and that’s why the phrase “rent-a-womb” is so irksome.

I also keep up with surrogacy news and the latest stats.

I know babies born by gestational surrogates grew by 89 percent between 2004 and 2008. I know surrogacy is growing in India and am also concerned about the women who choose to become surrogates and their fair treatment. I’m also familiar with the “anecdotal evidence” that suggests wives of our military serviceman are “disproportionately hired as surrogates” due to difficult financial situations. I’m familiar with the traditional surrogate court cases and the negative attention it brings this industry.

I know.

I’m familiar with it all.

I know that as surrogacy continues to grow, increased legislation to protect all in involved is on the horizon. I think international laws may even be created to protect women in developing countries and I’m all for it. Truly I am.

My commitment to moms who choose to be surrogates and intended parents is reflected in how Shared Conception conducts business.

“Rent-a-womb” demeans what we do. It paints our intended parents in a bad light. Some intended parents have spent thousands of dollars trying to conceive on their own with no success. You can’t imagine how it feels to want a child, try for years to conceive and fail every time. In vitro treatements are costly and can be painful and the emotional rollercoaster tests the strongest of relationships. So when a couple finally chooses surrogacy, that rent-a-womb phrase doesn’t sit well.

I have no doubt that this industry will continue to see rapid growth and become regulated to some degree. But news analysts and experts need to abandon the rent-a-womb terminology. They need to meet the women who serve as surrogates through our agency and the families whose lives they bless. Then maybe they’ll call this loving process by its correct name and realize no catch phrase is needed.

Source: Council for Responsible Genetics: Surrogacy in America

Well not on national TV.

Adrienne Maloof has ended her friendship with The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills costar, Brandi Glanville for blurting out on camera that her twins were born by surrogate.

This was common knowledge for people that knew her but her children didn’t know and Maloof is angry. Maloof’s boys are six years old and we began to wonder, when is a good time to tell your children and how do you tell them?

Surrogacy is growing as a popular choice for infertile couples to grow their families and the discussion of surrogacy will eventually have to be discussed with the surrogate mother’s own children as well as the children born via surrogacy.

According to Judith Kottick, a licensed social worker, you want to tell your children their birth story early so it’s not a shock as in the case of Maloof. There are even children’s books written especially to help the story of surrogacy births like, “Hope & Will Have a Baby: The Gift of Surrogacy,” by Irene Celcer.

Another mom who used a surrogate mother told her child from day one. Jan Zoretich said she told her children stories at night and just included it in story time.

By far the sweetest explanation we heard came from Melissa Bressman who told her three-year old; “The doctor took a piece of Daddy and took a piece of Mommy and put it inside someone else because my tummy was broken” (Rimer, 2009).

We certainly sympathize with Maloof for the way her twin boys learned their birth story. We encourage parents to take the advice of Kottick and tell the birth story sooner rather than later.

We know that surrogacy is a viable option for couples having difficulty conceiving on their own. And it seems that a lone councilman from the District of Columbia thinks so too. Councilman David Catania has submitted a bill that would end the city’s surrogacy contract prohibition. As the law stands right now, offenders of the law face the possibility of a $10,000 fine and a year in jail! Catania’s legislation allows for gestational and traditional surrogate contracts and he’s confident that he can get the right bill passed.

We’re hoping for the best for Councilman Catania and the residents of the District of Columbia.

The residents of New Jersey weren’t so fortunate. Governor Chris Christie vetoed legislation that would have relaxed restrictions in his state. As it stands, New Jersey remains on our list of surrogate unfriendly states.

India just passed legislation tightening their surrogacy rules. Gay couples, and couples who live in countries where there is no ban on surrogacy are prohibited from hiring Indian surrogate mothers.

So for the one step forward surrogacy made last week, the age-old practice took two steps back.

It is our hope that intended parents all over the world have the ability to choose surrogacy as their method to grow and expand their families. We’re proud that Texas remains one of the surrogate friendly states and gives infertile couples the opportunity to choose. Surrogacy has worked for so many families and Shared Conception is happy to keep making dreams come true.

 

© Glenn Francis, www.PacificProDigital.com

Unofficial sources say that Khloe Kardashian will use a gestational surrogate to grow her family. She and husband Lamar Odom have wanted children since the pair married but have battled with infertility.

Khloe and Lamar wouldn’t be the first celebrity couple to use a surrogate mother to grow their families.

Kara DioGuardi, a former American Idol judge also announced this week that she and her hubby Mike McCuddy would welcome their first child, Greyson James Carroll McCuddy into the world via surrogate.

Elton John and his partner David Furnish have just welcomed a second child into their home. Both were born via surrogacy.

Then of course there’s Giuliana and Bill Rancic’s very public battle with infertility. The couple made the decision to use a gestational surrogate and the two are now the proud parents of a baby boy.

Khole and Lamar have excellent examples of how surrogacy can work and give them the precious gift they’ve always wanted. Surrogacy is a wonderful option for intended parents no matter your celebrity status. A good agency can help connect intended parents and surrogate mothers to make parenthood dreams come true.

We wish Khloe and Lamar the best!

Finding and choosing a surrogate mother suitable for in vitro fertilization (IVF) may be closer than you realize. Finding a donor who can successfully complete the IVF process can be long and trying. But for a few women, their surrogates were closer than the neighbor next door, their own mothers acted as their surrogate.

The story of Kristine Casey, Sara Connell, and son, Finnean is just one of many heart-warming mother-daughter surrogate successes. Daughter Sara had experienced numerous miscarriages and disappointments trying to conceive. Her mother Kristine at 61 years old was more than her daughter’s surrogate mother; she became the vessel of life so that her daughter could share in the joys of motherhood. The experience offers mothers and daughters the opportunity to bond in an extraordinary way, a way that allows families to grow and flourish beautifully.

Cindy Reutzel, at the age of 53 became a surrogate for her daughter Emily. Emily had cervical cancer that resulted in a radical hysterectomy. The two didn’t think surrogacy was a realistic option but thanks to advancing technology in the field of in vitro transplantation, older women can carry a child to full term.
Finding a surrogate mother may be closer than you realize!

The surrogacy process for young grandmothers like Kristine includes a series of hormonal and fertilization injections, as well as psychological tests to ensure the overall health of the baby. Although age is a major determining factor, even women who have entered menopause can also conceive healthy babies.

The surrogacy pregnancy process is one to be proud of, especially when the woman carrying your child is your very own mother.

If you are an intended parent and live in the great state of Texas you’re quite fortunate! Texas laws on surrogacy make it quite attractive to undergo the process. For instance, Texas law says that once a surrogate agreement has been validated by the state, the child that the gestational surrogate carries is the biological child of the intended parents. No need for an adoption after the child is born.

But if you live in New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Nebraska, Washington and Washington D.C. your chances of using surrogacy to grow your family are zero. Those states make surrogacy illegal or find the surrogacy agreements unenforceable.

Other states either allow the use of a surrogate or courts have had favorable decisions in surrogacy cases. Some states don’t have any laws regarding surrogacy and typically allow surrogacy.

If you’re considering surrogacy, check your state’s laws on the use of a surrogate and know that the state law governing your surrogate process will be based on the surrogate mother’s resident.

If you’re in Texas, you’re already ahead of the game.

David Letterman has one, so do most magazines and gossip shows. What is it? Top ten lists! And since the New Year is upon us and many will watch the ball drop in Times Square, we thought we’d countdown the top ten reasons women should consider being a surrogate.

So in pure David Letterman fashion, here’s our top ten list!

• Number 10: Your last pregnancies were a breeze!
• Number 9: You want to turn intended parents into parents.
• Number 8: Changing foul diapers and countless sleepless nights should be experienced by all!
• Number 7: Your personality tests overwhelming classify you as a giver.
• Number 6: Being a surrogate pays you to give the gift of life.
• Number 5: Being pregnant justifies your secret love for pickles and ice cream.
• Number 4: You think modern medicine is way cool.
• Number 3: You really hate infertility and the hurt and pain it causes.
• Number 2: Maternity fashion is hot right now.
• And the number one reason to consider being a surrogate: Babies are an absolute blessing to those who can’t have them on their own.

We hope you enjoyed our fun list of reasons to become a surrogate. We know the reasons to become a surrogate are personal, varied and numerous. But one thing is for certain, the joy you’ll bring to an intended family if you decide to be a surrogate mother will validate whatever your reasons may be.

Wishing you all a Wonderful and Joyous New Year. Contact Shared Conception.

Surrogacy in some form has been around for ages.

You can even see early forms of it in some religious texts.

In Jewish and Christian writings you have:

• Sarah’s servant acting as a kind of surrogate; and
• The growth of Jacob’s family through the use of surrogates.

In each of these instances, the sperm of the father and the egg of the surrogate produced the heir(s).

Thankfully, surrogacy in this century looks completely different due to the advances in the medical field.

Now, an embryo created from the intended parents can be transferred into a surrogate mother who will then carry the baby to term. The baby has no biological connection to the surrogate mother and is a genetically connected offspring of both the intended parents.

For women who are unable to produce eggs, donated eggs and the father’s sperm can create the embryo and that embryo transferred to the surrogate mother.

Today, parents who want to have children have a wide range of options to create the family they desire.

Surrogacy allows intended parents to create their families using their own egg and sperm or donated matter. It’s all possible thanks to surrogate mothers who are willing to give the gift of life to loving and caring intended parents.