Ban for single men and legal inaccuracies. What are the features of surrogacy in Russia?

What is surrogacy?

Who is a surrogate mother? This is a woman who carries and gives birth to a child instead of you. At the same time, he has your genotype, therefore he is your biological child. Surrogate mothers are needed for those women who, for various reasons, cannot give birth on their own.

A surrogate mother is needed if a woman wants to become a mother, but suffers from severe somatic or oncological diseases, has malformations of the reproductive organs, if IVF did not produce results, and so on.

A surrogate mother gives birth to a child who was conceived “in vitro” through artificial insemination of the biological mother’s egg. After fertilization, the embryo is transplanted into a surrogate mother, and she carries someone else's child. After birth, the baby is transferred to its biological parents. According to Russian law, a surrogate mother and her husband must sign a consent to carry someone else’s child before starting the procedure.

Fertilization

If surrogacy is planned, all parties to the process should know how fertilization occurs. The procedure consists of four main steps, presented below.

First of all, for conception to be successful, it is necessary to take a sufficient number of high-quality sperm. Biological material can be used from both the donor and the husband. It is important to understand that if borrowed germ cells are used, it will be necessary to take a responsible approach to the process of selecting a donor.

After selecting a candidate using a questionnaire, he is examined, sperm is taken and cryo-frozen. The materials remain in this state for six months. Only after such manipulations can the germ cells be used.

At the next stage, doctors collect an egg that is mature and ready for fertilization. As stated at the very beginning, oocytes can be used from either a genetic mother or a donor. Taking biological material from a surrogate mother is prohibited by law.

Doctors do the actual egg retrieval either in a natural cycle. This is possible only when the ovaries are in full health, when ovulation occurs as planned and stably. In the case of various pathologies, induction is performed, that is, the ovaries are stimulated and the cycle is established. After hormone therapy, one or more mature eggs can be obtained.

The penultimate stage is fertilization. Taking into account all the nuances of the legislative level, the egg is always obtained from a donor or the mother herself, which allows the surrogate mother to bear a genetically foreign child.

Fertilization of an egg with a sperm ICSI

The fertilization procedure itself is carried out using IVF or ICSI with IVF technology. Extracorporeal technology involves the connection of a sperm and an egg outside the human body, that is, in a test tube or a special medical Petri dish.

Fertilization will occur spontaneously, but when using IVF technology with ICSI, the procedure is forced. That is, using a special needle, a sperm is implanted into an egg.

The final part is the implantation of a fertilized egg into the uterine cavity of the surrogate mother. After this, the embryo itself should already attach to the walls of the organ. To increase the chances of pregnancy, both women undergo hormone therapy. As a result, at the time of egg transfer, after synchronization of menstrual cycles, the surrogate mother has an endometrium ready for attachment.

What is a surrogate mother?

A woman wishing to become a surrogate mother must meet certain requirements. Surrogate mothers, first of all, must be completely healthy mentally and physically. The surrogate mother must be of a certain age (from 20 to 34 years old) and have a history of no premature births or miscarriages. Having your own child will be an additional advantage. Finding a surrogate mother on your own is very difficult, as this is a complex procedure that includes a lot of organizational and legal nuances. Therefore, the best option is to contact specialized fertility clinics that can help resolve this issue.

Under no circumstances is it recommended to independently enter into such agreements with women, and here’s why:

• You don't know what state of health she is in. She may have infections transmitted in utero or during childbirth.
• You don't know whether she will agree to part with her newly born daughter or son, because this process promotes strong emotional attachment.
• You are not protected from the risks of blackmail or extortion from a woman, because your relationship is not legally formalized in any way.

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Historical facts

Surrogacy goes back to ancient times. The first mention of it is in the works of the ancient Greek writer and philosopher Plutarch. He described how Queen Stratonice of Syria, who could not become a mother, allowed her husband to conceive children with another woman. This was done with the aim of preventing the royal line from being interrupted. The queen herself was involved in raising the children.

The case of Stratonika is the first mention of surrogacy in history. This happened back in 290 BC. e.

Surrogacy was widespread in ancient Rome. There, this type of assistance to infertile couples was a profitable business. Men sent their healthy wives to wealthy but childless families, for which they received a certain fee.

Jews coped with the problem of infertility with the help of slaves. The woman chose a healthy slave who would be inseminated by her husband. She delivered the baby herself and was the first to hold the baby in her arms.

Surrogacy today

Surrogacy was once again discussed in society at the end of the last century, when the method of in vitro fertilization began to be actively introduced into practice. In 1980, an agreement was drawn up according to which Elizabeth Kane (a resident of Illinois) conceived, carried and gave birth to a child for the family of her friends using the IVF method.

This example prompted many childless couples in America to decide to take the same step. Surrogacy is no stranger to celebrities. Such famous people as Nicole Kidman, Michael Jackson, Elton John, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ricky Martin and others resorted to this method of procreation. Moreover, not in every case were surrogate mothers turned to due to infertility. Often the basis is a person's homosexual orientation. This practice is widespread in Europe and America.

Surrogacy in the future

Over time, attitudes towards surrogacy have been revised. Society has learned to value a woman’s right to control her reproductive capabilities. Emancipation plays a significant role in this. The commercial basis of such activities has become a shameful fact. Moreover, new methods have been developed to combat infertility. Scientists have learned to extract eggs from women's bodies and store them.

However, it is still not possible to completely abandon surrogacy until now. No alternative has been found yet. Scientists can perform fertilization in artificially created conditions, but there is no substitute for the female body in terms of bearing a fetus. Although we shouldn’t rule out the fact that it will appear in the future.

Surrogate mother questionnaire

A surrogate mother can be a healthy woman under 35 years of age who has her own child, who has undergone a full clinical examination in accordance with Order of the Ministry of Health No. 107, on the basis of which it was concluded that she has no contraindications for bearing a pregnancy.

In addition to standard tests for infections, RV, HIV, hepatitis and others, which are taken by all women before planning a pregnancy, the surrogate mother undergoes a mandatory consultation with a psychiatrist and narcologist to ensure that she is not registered with these specialists. The therapist and ophthalmologist exclude contraindications for pregnancy and vaginal delivery.

To become a surrogate mother, fill out the form

Childbirth

And in conclusion, it’s worth saying something about how surrogate mothers give birth. Such births do not differ in any fundamental way from ordinary ones. The process takes place in a fertility clinic, where fertilization was performed and the pregnancy was monitored. There are some specialists who are confident in the need for delivery by cesarean section if the woman was artificially inseminated. However, there is no consensus on this matter, because there are doctors who are confident that any pregnancy should ideally end in natural birth.

Due to the fact that during pregnancy the condition of the woman and the unborn child is monitored by highly qualified specialists, the chances of having a healthy child increase several times.

It is also necessary to understand that children born from a surrogate mother, regardless of whose eggs were used, are no different from ordinary children in physical terms.

Payment for related procedures

Parents first of all find out the cost of carrying a child with a surrogate mother, the conditions of this procedure, the chances of repeating artificial insemination and a list of additional examinations. The surrogate mother is interested in the amount of compensation, conditions and obligations.

Parents who intend to seek help consider the offers of different clinics and notice that prices differ significantly. In addition, some services require additional payment. Therefore, it is worth initially calculating all the costs and setting at least an approximate price.

Surrogacy is quite common. You can always find a clinic with a full package of services, economical options and offers for those who have the opportunity to pay for a more thorough process.

Many clinics provide loans. If the couple is unable to pay the bill immediately, they are given the option to pay the balance on an agreed date. Special conditions significantly reduce the time, which will allow parents to quickly have the desired child.

The cost of the process depends on the services that will be needed. There is no specific amount, because each case is individual. Important aspects: compensation and assistance to the pregnant surrogate mother. All factors must be specified in the contract.

The key to determining the price is the method of finding a surrogate mother. There are two options: find a candidate yourself and conclude an agreement without intermediaries, or contact a clinic that will supervise the process of conceiving and carrying a child. In the first case, it could be a family friend or even a relative.

The contract will contain the required services, the individual needs of each case and the procedures that may be needed in a particular situation. In general, the clinic’s help will cost parents no more than searching for and supporting a surrogate mother on their own.

Basic indications and payment

Surrogacy treatment has two bases:

1. a commercial. The surrogate mother is paid a fee plus any expenses incurred during her pregnancy. To prevent conflict situations, an agreement is concluded with her, which specifies all the necessary points.
2. altruistic. The surrogate mother is paid only for expenses incurred during her pregnancy or nothing at all. This is a rather dangerous method, since she may refuse to give up the child and, according to the law, she will be right. But, as a rule, only relatives (sister, niece, grandmother) bear the baby for free, so there are practically no conflicts.

In most cases, indications for surrogacy concern only women, because a man can use natural conception or, if problems are detected, with the ICSI procedure. A woman will have to agree to use the services of a surrogate mother if she has:

• absolute infertility associated with the absence of the uterus;
• deformation (fusion) of the cavity or cervix as a result of disease or congenital malformations;
• adhesive process of the uterine cavity that is not amenable to drug treatment;
• medical contraindications to pregnancy (heart disease, kidney disease, oncology, arterial hypertension, etc.);
• more than five unsuccessful attempts at the IVF procedure.

Selection of surrogate mother

Many people are interested in how a surrogate mother is chosen? After all, not every woman is capable of becoming a gestational courier. It's not even about physical health, but about attitude to the process. Although it is believed that a surrogate mother is just a container for carrying a baby, she needs to be an emotionally stable person. Everyone understands perfectly well that a child in the womb pushes, moves, etc., so within 9 months the mother involuntarily falls in love with this miracle. In practice, there are quite a lot of cases when surrogates, despite a legal contract, do not give up children and sue the biological parents. In most cases, special agencies are involved in the selection of surrogate mothers. They are the ones who are responsible for compliance with the agreements by all participants in the process and in case of controversial issues, they are engaged in pre-trial settlement. Typically, the basic requirements are as follows:

• psychological stability;
• no criminal record or bad habits;
• physical health;
• age less than 20 and more than 35 years;
• having at least one healthy child;
• she should not have a caesarean section;
• the same Rh blood factor with genetic parents to avoid conflict;
• husband's consent.

This is not a complete list of requirements, since in each individual case everything is individual. In addition, a personal meeting between the surrogate mother and the biological parents is necessary in order to find out whether they are emotionally suitable for each other. It very often happens that the future surrogate mother is ideal in all respects, but for unknown reasons, customers feel disliked by her.