There are two main types of surrogacy: traditional and gestational. It’s important to understand the difference.
TRADITIONAL SURROGACY
Traditional surrogacy requires that the surrogate not only carries and delivers a baby for her Intended Parents, but also acts as an egg donor for that baby. A traditional surrogate is artificially inseminated with the Intended Father’s sperm. Therefore, she is genetically the biological mother and related to the child that she is carrying.
GESTATIONAL SURROGACY
Gestational surrogacy is when a surrogate carries and delivers a baby for their intended parents. The surrogate does not have a genetic relationship to the baby because the embryo transferred into her was created via in vitro fertilization with an egg that comes either from the Intended Mother or an egg donor.
By removing a surrogate’s genetic tie to the baby, gestational surrogacy can eliminate many of the emotional and legal risks associated with traditional surrogacy.
Prizzilla from Surrogacy Center of Philadelphia gives a short explanation on the topic of traditional vs gestational surrogacy:
“Surrogacy- that word we hear about in movies or when celebrities have another person carry and deliver their baby. Unless you’ve had a personal experience with surrogacy, odds are you haven’t thought much about it aside from what’s shown in the media. What I’ve noticed is the average person doesn’t realize there are two main types of surrogacy, and it’s important to understand the difference.
Traditional Surrogacy is something you probably think of whenever you hear the word “surrogacy,” though the definition may not be what you think it is. It’s been around since Biblical times. Traditional surrogacy requires that the surrogate not only carries and delivers a baby for their intended parents, but that they also act as an egg donor for that baby. A traditional surrogate is genetically related to the child they are carrying, which could bring emotional and legal risks. While most people weigh the pros and cons of surrogacy vs egg donation, a traditional surrogate will take on everything that comes along with being both an egg donor and a surrogate.
Gestational Surrogacy is more common these days than traditional surrogacy. This is when a surrogate mother carries and delivers a baby for their intended parents. In this case, the surrogate mum is not genetically related to the baby because the egg comes from either the intended mother or an egg donor. A person can serve as a gestational surrogate even if they’ve had a tubal ligation because this type of surrogacy does not rely on the surrogate’s eggs. By removing a surrogate’s genetic tie to the baby, gestational surrogacy can eliminate the emotional and legal risks with traditional surrogacy.
Hopefully our article helped you to see the important differences in the debate of traditional vs gestational surrogacy.
At the Surrogacy Center of Philadelphia, our method for building families is Gestational Surrogacy. Our surrogates take pride in being the oven for a precious bun!”
