For some women, figuring out how to get pregnant naturally can be a difficult experience, and, unfortunately, some may eventually learn that they are unable to conceive a baby on their own.
While this can be upsetting for couples to cope with, this doesn't mean that the dream of having a family is out of the picture – in fact, many are able to realize their hopes of welcoming a little boy or girl through other methods, like surrogacy.
If you're a woman who has struggled to conceive her first child and are interested in learning more about how to begin the process of finding a surrogate, you should consider these helpful tips.
Types of surrogates
Women who are struggling to conceive have multiple options available to them for trying to have a baby, including traditional surrogacy and gestational surrogacy. With the first option, a surrogate is artificially inseminated with the sperm of the father and carries the child to term. After the baby is born, he or she is raised by the couple. While a traditional surrogate is the biological mother of the child, she may have limited to no involvement in the baby's life.
With a gestational surrogacy, in vitro fertilization is used to impregnate the surrogate mother with the fertilized egg of the couple. In this instance, the surrogate will likely not have any genetic links to the baby, although if she is a relative of the couple, there may be blood ties.
In recent years, gestational surrogacy has become more commonplace than traditional surrogacy, partially because there are fewer legal issues involved and because the child born has full genetic ties to both parents.
Searching for the right woman
If you believe that surrogacy would be an ideal option for you, there are several ways that you can go about searching for a woman to become a surrogate for you and your partner.
Many women get started by reaching out to an organization or agency that specializes in helping individuals find women who are interested in becoming surrogates. Finding someone who is physically healthy, the right age, active and meets other needs that you and your partner set out can be crucial for making sure the process goes as you want it to.
But many others may look to friends and family first before speaking with a stranger about the potential for carrying a child. This can be a great way to stay in touch with the pregnancy through each crucial moment. And, while you are busy shopping for things you need for a baby, the surrogate will ensure that your baby's development proceeds in a way that is healthy and goes along as planned.