A surrogate carries the gift of life for another couple or individual. For some people, carrying their own baby through pregnancy is impossible and a surrogate offers their only hope of having a child.
Surrogacy is a highly complex process, and there are many important steps to ensure that both parties make the best decisions - including extensive counselling, psychiatric assessment and independent legal advice. IVFAustralia’s surrogacy program can support you throughout this journey.
In gestational surrogacy, an embryo is created using an egg and sperm produced by the commissioning parent(s) (or donors), and is transferred into the surrogate’s uterus. The surrogate has no genetic link to the child. Her eggs cannot be used to conceive the child.
When can a surrogacy take place?
The following conditions must be fulfilled before we can offer you surrogacy as a treatment option:
- The commissioning parent has a defined medical disorder that makes it impossible or unacceptably dangerous to carry a baby in her uterus.
- The surrogate is older than 25, and younger than the age of natural menopause (52 years of age). This may be increased slightly to 55 in the unique situation of a gestational surrogate who is the mother or mother-in-law of the commissioning parent.
- The surrogate must have already given birth to a healthy child of her own.
- The surrogate does not have a past history of pregnancy-related illnesses or complications.
- The surrogate has had an established relationship with the commissioning parents for at least two years by the time of the embryo transfer.
- Neither the surrogate or commissioning parents suffer from a significant psychiatric disorder that would impair decision-making or the care of the child.
Our Ethics Committee will need to approve your surrogacy before it can proceed.
As a commissioning parent, you must find your own surrogate. It is illegal to advertise for someone to act as a surrogate, and you cannot pay someone to act as your surrogate. It is also illegal for a woman to advertise that she is willing to act as a surrogate mother.
The surrogacy process
- Medical review – the commissioning couple (or individual) and surrogate attend a consultation with an IVFAustralia fertility specialist.
- Independent assessment – the surrogate and the commissioning couple may need to have an independent obstetric and psychiatric assessment.
- Counselling – for the commissioning couple, the surrogate and her partner, including any genetic issues.
- Independent legal advice – we need to see a written certificate confirming both parties have been advised on their rights and obligations.
- IVFAustralia Ethics Committee – reviews all relevant information and approves.
- IVF treatment cycle – if the commissioning parent is using her own eggs, they will be collected after an IVF treatment cycle and fertilised with her partner’s sperm. The embryo will then be inseminated into the surrogate.
- Ongoing pregnancy care – Once pregnancy is confirmed, the clinic counsellor will continue to discuss and confirm plans for delivery.
- Birth – the baby is deemed to be the child of the birth mother until the commissioning parents’ parentage order legally takes effect, under the Surrogacy Bill 2010.
Click here to download our Surrogacy Patient Information Sheet...
