Gestational carrier, which is also known as gestational surrogacy or host uterus, just like most of other aspects of assisted reproductive technologies, began with using family members as volunteers, and only after that it moved on to involve recruited volunteers. Nowadays, there are more recruited volunteer carries are involved, then family members.
Unlike recruited volunteer gestational Surrogate Mothers, family members are drawn to being a gestational Surrogate Mother after they have had direct experience of watching a loved person go through infertility, or some health problems, as well as simply being asked directly. As a rule it is some dramatic medical situation, for example, a racial hysterectomy, life long disease, such as diabetes of congenital absence of the uterus, which makes a person need a gestational carrier. As a rule all family members are aware of the situation and are ready to respond to the need right away.
It may be difficult for the couple of the Intended Parents to see whether some family member is ready to become the Surrogate Mother because she wants to do it, or because she feels that she has a duty or obligation to do so. This situation usually appears to be one of the most difficult to evaluate for both surrogacy agreement’s participants: the Surrogate Mother and the Intended Parents.
Anyway, it is necessary to have a good assessment conducted before any cycle is begun. There are, of no doubt, a lot of advantages of using a family member as a Surrogate Mother:
The Intended Parents are aware of the history and daily routine of the Surrogate Mother;
There is a great deal of comfort, which is possible to be gained from having an easy and always ready access to the Surrogate Mother during the attempts, as well as during the whole pregnancy term;
There is no need to negotiate any type of relationship for after the baby is delivered, there is already a firmly established relationship.
However, considering the relationship, it is the fact, that the Surrogate Mother and her male partner, just as well as the couple of the Intended Parents need to explore how this collaboration may influence the future relationship development. It is nonsense to consider that going through a surrogacy experience together would bring no changes into the relationship; therefore, this does not mean at all that it would change the existing relationship either for better or for worse; still any significant life event does bring some changes into relationship. For example, when a sister gets married, this inevitably brings changes to her relationship with other siblings. It should also be pointed out, that there is no kind of relationship, which is not the subject to change over time and life experience.
Finally, surrogacy arrangement behooves any group going through this experience to look long and hard at how this may influence on their relationship. There will, of no doubt, be the issue of how, what and when to tell the child / children, who arrived in the result of a surrogacy arrangement about his or her / their specific origins. Moreover, the Surrogate Mother and her partner also have a child / children, and these children need to incorporate into the Surrogate Mother’s experience. If her child / children is / are extremely small, it is necessary to make different accommodations, rather when the child / children is / are older. Anyway, without taking the age into consideration, the child / children that is / are already involved in the surrogacy process, are to be brought into the experience and it is extremely necessary, just as well as important to anticipate any feelings and possible reactions of him or her / them.
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