Surrogacy is one of the assisted reproductive technologies. The surrogate mother carries the baby that isn’t genetically related to her. Doctors use the biological material of the parents-to-be (eggs and sperm) or donor material to create an embryo. However, this procedure has one crucial aspect – one of the parents-to-be should be genetically related to the child, meaning that if donor material is used, it may either be donor eggs or donor sperm.
The Ukrainian legislation specifies the number of requirements to couples that want to use surrogacy services. Those are the couples that have had several failed attempts using reproductive technologies. Those are also the couples presenting health issues, when it is impossible to achieve pregnancy or when pregnancy could endanger the life of a woman and her child.
All the families that visit a medical center should provide the facts proving that surrogacy is their only possible option to have a baby. It is necessary to collect a set of documents certifying that they have a right to use the surrogacy services. Otherwise, it is impossible to use surrogacy in Ukraine legally.
Since same-sex marriages are still forbidden in Ukraine, a couple that expressed the desire to access surrogacy should not be same-sex spouses, even if it is a couple from abroad and in their country such marriages are legal.
After the couple provides all the necessary documents, health professionals start looking for a surrogate mother and donor material if needed (either eggs or sperm).
When a surrogate mother is found, she has to sign documents as well, and if she is married, her husband has to sign a consent for his wife to take part in the program.
After both parties sign the necessary documents, the surrogate mother undergoes medical examinations and doctors start the process of preparing her body for embryo implantation. The health of the surrogate mother and the baby is continuously monitored. In the middle of the pregnancy term, the surrogate mother gets an offer to move closer to a clinic where her pregnancy is controlled and to the maternity hospital.
The pregnancy in a surrogacy program is as risky as common pregnancy. Of course, in real life that are many things that may deviate from our plans, but at least it is possible to minimize the risks. If in common natural pregnancy, parents are responsible for everything, in the surrogacy program, the clinic, health professionals, surrogate mother and technologies applied are accountable for success.
All the possible risks are stipulated in the agreement between the parents and surrogate mother, as well as the action plan for force majeure.
Celebrities who used surrogacy services
Michael Jackson was one of the first celebrities who used surrogacy services. The name of the surrogate mother was kept in secret, and it is still unknown.
Nicole Kidman underwent a really long way. At first, she adopted two kids with her first husband. Later, by a miracle, Nicole got pregnant naturally with her next husband. Though, the further attempts to give birth to a child turned out to be unsuccessful for the couple. That is when Nicole Kidman resorted to surrogacy services, and as a result, her daughter Faith was born.
Being in a same-sex marriage, Elton John resorted to surrogacy twice. Two boys were born as the result of two surrogacy programs that were performed in a clinic in California.
A famous singer Ricky Martin enjoys parenting twin-boys thanks to a surrogacy program. He is gay and feels empowerment to bring his two children up on his own. His sons know about his sexual orientation, for the singer doesn’t hide it. Later, the star used surrogacy services for two more times and gave birth to a daughter and a son, so he is a father of many children thanks to reproductive technologies.
Sarah Jessica Parker is a mother of twin-daughters and the name of the surrogate mother who helped her is not a secret. Her daughters have an older brother who was born by Sarah naturally.
Cristiano Ronaldo is a father of three kids, two of them are twins, and all of them were born with the help of surrogate mothers. And only his daughter – the fourth child – was born by his girlfriend.
Robert de Niro was among the first celebrities who used surrogacy services, and as the result of such a program, his twins were born. It’s a curious fact that his wife couldn’t get pregnant for a really long time and they divorced even before their desired children were born. Though it was nothing of the problem for the couple and they became really good parents. Robert de Niro and his wife resorted to surrogacy agency, and the program resulted in giving birth to his daughter.
Iryna Bilyk, a Ukrainian singer, gave birth to her son in her 5th official marriage due to reproductive technologies, surrogacy in particular. Her younger son was born by a surrogate mother, and he has an older brother who was born by Iryna Bilyk and her second husband.
Kim Kardashian gave birth to her two older children naturally, but due to some health problems, she resorted to surrogate mother and now has two more children thanks to this program.
Surrogacy is a controversial topic – some people are strongly against such programs, others are strongly for, but it is clear that the couple who has been trying to feel the desired joy of parenthood for years or even for decades, who have tried dozens of possible variants, who lost their hope and gave up for so many times, perceives surrogacy program as their last chance to feel the happiness of being parents .
