Surrogacy in Iran

What Is Surrogacy?

Surrogacy is an arrangement, usually supported by a legal agreement, whereby a woman (the surrogate) agrees to give birth to a child for another person or persons, who will become the child’s parent(s) after birth.

When pregnancy is medically impossible, when the risks of pregnancy are too high for the intended mother, or when a single man or a male couple wishes to have children, people may seek a surrogacy arrangement. Surrogacy is considered one of many assisted reproductive technologies.

What Is the Surrogacy Process Step-By-Step?

In Iran, surrogacy is carried out in 8 stages:

. Finding the right fertility center

The first step in surrogacy is choosing a good fertility clinic.

. Medical examinations

The intended parents and the surrogate must undergo medical and physical tests, most of which are performed by clinic specialists.

. Genetic counseling

Genetic counseling is one of the most important stages of surrogacy because genetic diseases and disorders of both parties are identified during the counseling sessions.

. Getting legal advice

Getting legal advice and being aware of surrogacy regulations and conventions will end most concerns about the legal issues of this procedure.

. Choosing an egg donor

If the couple needs a donor egg for surrogacy, they can either get it from the egg bank of the infertility center or request an egg donation. It should be noted that the egg donor must undergo clinical screening before donating eggs.

. Choosing a surrogate

The couple can find a surrogate on their own or choose one of the surrogates offered by the infertility center. In any case, the gestational surrogate must undergo medical and psychiatric tests and provide the doctor with a complete medical history.

. Medical process

Before starting the surrogacy process, one of the assisted reproduction methods, such as IUI or IVF, should be chosen to fertilize the egg. Once doctors fertilize the egg, it can be transferred to the surrogate’s uterus.

. Pregnancy and Birth

About fifteen days after the embryo transfer, the surrogate must take a pregnancy test to confirm the pregnancy. If the surrogate becomes pregnant, she will be under the full support of the infertility center team and, of course, the biological parents. Finally, after the baby is born, it is delivered to the intended parents according to the agreement.

Who Is a Good Candidate for Surrogacy in Iran?

. Abnormal and inappropriate structure of the uterus: Sometimes the uterus is congenitally abnormal and does not allow the fetus to implant. Sometimes, due to infection, severe adhesions, and large fibroids created during various surgeries, the uterus is no longer suitable for pregnancy.

. Congenital or acquired absence of uterus: Some women are born without a uterus. However, some people have had their uterus removed due to conditions such as uterine or cervical cancer.

. Repeated miscarriages for unknown reasons.

. Having diseases that cause high-risk pregnancy: The presence of underlying diseases such as diabetes, advanced heart failure, and kidney failure in the mother makes pregnancy dangerous for her. Additionally, some patients, such as those with cancer, need to take medications that can affect the health of the fetus.

. Repeated failure of infertility treatments despite having a suitable embryo: In some cases, couples may fail to conceive after several IVF and ICSI cycles despite good embryo quality.

Who Is Eligible to Be a Surrogate?

A person must have certain conditions to increase the chances of a successful pregnancy. These conditions include:

. Physical health: The candidate must be in good physical health. Having heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc., which can affect the pregnancy process, can remove the candidate from the list. In addition to alcohol consumption, sexually transmitted infections and addiction, also prevent the volunteer from continuing the process.

. Proper age: The volunteer must be under 38 years old. Because with increasing age, the possibility of embryo implantation in the uterus decreases.

. Familiarity with the legal issues of surrogacy: The candidate must be familiar with the legal issues of this work and read and approve all necessary contracts. One of the most important legal issues in surrogacy is the delivery of the baby to the parents after birth.

. History of a successful pregnancy: The surrogate mother must have at least one child. This will give you more confidence.

. Mental health: The candidate must be assessed for personality stability, mental health, mental illness, and marital stability. If mental health is not confirmed, the person will be removed from the list of volunteers.

What Is the Ideal Age for a Surrogate Mother?

The suitable age range for a surrogate mother is a minimum of 21 years to a maximum of 38 years.

Who Is Not Eligible to Be a Surrogate?

Below are medical conditions that can prevent women from becoming gestational surrogates.

Unhealthy BMI
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
Endometriosis
Preeclampsia
Multiple C-Sections
Gestational Diabetes
Other Underlying Health Conditions such as mental illnesses
No Previous Children
Under or over childbearing age (You must be between 21 and 38 years old to qualify as a surrogate.)
Drug Use

What Are the Different Types of Surrogacy?

The term “surrogacy” is commonly used to describe several different scenarios.

. A traditional surrogate both donates her eggs and carries a pregnancy for an individual or couple. The pregnancy is usually achieved through intrauterine insemination (IUI) with the intended father’s sperm. Donor sperm may also be used.

. A gestational carrier carries a pregnancy for an individual or couple using an egg that is not the carrier’s. The egg may come from the intended mother or a donor. Likewise, sperm may come from the intended father or a donor. Pregnancy is achieved through in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Gestational carriers are now more common than traditional surrogates. Why is this? Since a traditional surrogate donates her egg, she is technically the child’s biological mother. While this can definitely work out just fine, it can create complex legal and emotional issues.

What Are the Benefits of Surrogacy?

. This method helps women who do not have ovulation problems and have other fertility problems to get pregnant.

. Surrogacy helps childless couples achieve their long-held dream of having a child, which leads to the survival of the family. This paves the way for reducing divorce rates and solving the problems of infertile couples.

. The baby produced by this method has all the characteristics of its parents genetically. Therefore, surrogacy is probably the most well-known family-building alternative to adoption.

. One of the most important advantages of surrogacy is its affordable cost.

. Jurisprudentially, a child raised through surrogacy is considered legitimate.

What Are the Disadvantages of Surrogacy?

. The possibility of legal, financial, and medical abuse in this method, which is claimed by the expansion of the brokerage market in this field, is not ruled out.

. The surrogate and her family, as well as the intended parents, may struggle with many emotional and psychological problems.

. Society has not yet accepted this method, and many people are unaware of it. Therefore, there is no proper social view towards the surrogate mother.

What Are the Risks of Surrogacy?

There are risks for couples or individuals who use a surrogate. Some of the most common risks include:

. There is no guarantee that the pregnancy will be successful.

. Risks of fertility treatment and medical procedures to the intended parents or carrier.

. Emotional risk of miscarriage, complications, and other health conditions.

. Frustration over lack of control over the carrier, the pregnancy, and other factors.

. Financial risk associated with IVF, medical procedures, legal rules, and compensation.

There are also risks to the surrogate. They should receive regular prenatal care during pregnancy. The surrogate inherits all the risks of pregnancy complications such as diabetes, infection, and high blood pressure. Carrying someone else’s pregnancy can be emotional, time-consuming, and challenging for the surrogate’s spouse or children. While most surrogates are happy to help a couple or individual become parents, they can still become attached to the child after birth.

What Is the Success Rate of Surrogacy?

Before the IVF procedure, several medical evaluations are performed on the surrogate to ensure that her body is ready to receive the embryo. Therefore, once doctors confirm pregnancy, the chance of having a healthy baby is over 95%. However, some factors affect the success rate of surrogacy, including:

. The age of the surrogate and biological parents.

. Sperm and egg quality.

. The process of egg fertilization.

. The surrogate’s physical ability to carry a baby for 9 months.

. The clinic equipment and the expertise of the doctor who transfers the embryo.

. In the case of egg donation, the age and health condition of the egg donor.

FAQ:

1. Can You Be a Surrogate After 3 C-Sections?

Although one cesarean section may not disqualify you from becoming a surrogate, multiple C-sections do. Most clinics only accept surrogates who have had no more than two previous cesarean sections; some will get candidates with three C-sections if the pregnancies are uncomplicated and they pass a mock cycle. However, the exact number of cesarean sections you can have hasn’t been established yet.

Is the Surrogate the Biological Mother of the Child?

Gestational surrogacy is the most common form of surrogacy and the type that we work with here at Safe Medtour. In this arrangement, the surrogate mother carries a baby who is not biologically related to her. The eggs used in IVF are provided by another woman, known as the biological or genetic mother.

Gestational surrogacy involves the fertilization of the egg outside the surrogate’s body through IVF. The embryo is then implanted in the surrogate’s uterus. This process ensures that the surrogate’s eggs are not used in the fertilization of the child, so she is not the biological mother.

What Are the Most Common Reasons for Choosing Surrogacy?

There are many reasons why people choose surrogacy:

. Health issues prevent women from becoming pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term.

. Infertility issues such as frequent miscarriages make couples unable to conceive or stay pregnant.

. Single people want to have biological children.

. Same-sex couples want to have children. It can be two men, but women also find this option attractive because one partner’s egg and embryo can be transferred and carried by the other.

What Are the Main Factors Affecting the Success Rate of Surrogacy Treatment?

The success of the surrogacy method depends on many factors, including the quality of the eggs and the age of the person from whom the eggs are taken. The rate of miscarriage in 35-year-old mothers is 15%, 35-40 years old 20%, and over 40 years old up to about 40%.

Additionally, the surrogate’s health is crucial to the success of the pregnancy. For this reason, having a history of successful pregnancy is one of the conditions for choosing the right person as a surrogate mother. Another factor that can be effective in the success of surrogacy is the skill of the treatment center and specialist doctor. Therefore, you should be more careful when choosing a treatment center and doctor.

Does A Baby Inherit Anything from A Surrogate Mother?

In gestational surrogacy, a baby’s DNA comes from its biological parents, half from the mother, and half from the father. Therefore, the placenta is the only blood connection between the surrogate mother and fetus. The surrogate only carries the baby until birth. There will be an emotional connection between the surrogate mother and the fetus, but there is no biological connection.

Is the Surrogate Mother’s Age Important?

The possibility of accepting a surrogate depends on various factors, including her age. If the surrogate has to use her own eggs, additional tests may be needed to assess her egg reserve. Depending on the surrogate’s age and her results, a fertility specialist will be able to discuss the success rate you should expect from your treatment. As with any fertility treatment, the success rate decreases with the age of the egg donor, especially after the age of 35.

Can You Have Twins with Surrogacy?

Yes. Since in the surrogacy process, the embryo is transferred to the surrogate mother’s uterus through IVF, the chances of having twins increase if more than one embryo is transferred. Additionally, just like a normal pregnancy, the embryo can have a natural split in the uterus, resulting in identical twins. Studies show that IVF can slightly increase the chance of natural embryo splitting.

What Is the Difference Between Traditional Surrogacy and Gestational Surrogacy?

There are two types of surrogacy: gestational and traditional.

Gestational surrogacy is a type of surrogacy in which the surrogate mother is not genetically related to the fetus due to not providing the egg used for fertilization. In this type of pregnancy, the eggs of the intended parents or donated eggs are used. The gestational surrogate carries the pregnancy and gives birth to the baby. This is the most common type of surrogacy. In most cases, at least one parent is genetically related to the child, but the carrier is not. This makes the process less complicated legally.

Traditional surrogacy is when the carrier of the pregnancy is genetically related to the fetus. Their eggs are used to create pregnancy and they carry and give birth to the baby. And then, as the child’s biological parent, they must surrender parental rights to the intended parent (s). This kind of surrogacy has many legal complications.