Surrogacy appears straightforward on the outside: an embryo is placed in the surrogate’s uterus, and she carries the child for the intended parents. To guarantee a healthy surrogate pregnancy, though, extensive screening, careful planning, and highly personalized medical care are required. So, technically, you need to prepare for a demanding but rewarding medical procedure if you intend to become a surrogate.
You can take a detailed overview of what to anticipate at each stage of the medical surrogacy procedure in this article- from the need for medical screening to the embryo transfer and more.
- Medical Examination
It’s critical to make sure your body is actually prepared to bear a surrogate pregnancy before initiating any medical procedures. Let’s say that you are opting for surrogacy. In that case, depending on the surrogacy centers part of this medical screening may be completed before you are connected with your intended parents and some may be completed after you have established a match.
- Mock Cycle
Before the transfer cycle, the majority of surrogates have a mock cycle. The reproductive endocrinologist will prescribe you the same drugs you would use to get ready for the actual transfer during a mock cycle.
They will be able to check your uterine lining at this time to see how the drugs are working on it. Throughout the mock cycle, you will have numerous ultrasounds and blood tests done to assess your hormone levels and the lining of your uterus.
- Getting Ready for the Transfer of Embryos
As you proceed with the surrogacy treatment in Mumbai, you will be able to begin preparing your body for the embryo transfer via mock cycle. Using a fresh cycle or a frozen cycle will affect the transfer’s timing differently.
The transfer is carried out in accordance with your cycle if the embryos are frozen. The embryos are often transferred five days after your mid-cycle as they are frozen on day five of development. This is due to the fact that the embryo needs roughly five days to transfer via the fallopian tube before implanting in a typical pregnancy.
- Transferring the Embryos
You will stop taking the Lupron injections the day before the egg retrieval and start taking progesterone. In order to preserve the health of your uterus and support a stable pregnancy, progesterone aids in maintaining the proper level of hormones.
Progesterone can be administered intramuscularly, orally, or by suppositories. Most of the time, daily intramuscular injections are necessary. Your partner or the doctor’s office can administer them at home. The embryo transfer will happen after the five-day incubation period when you are five days past the midpoint of your cycle. One or two embryos will be transferred using a syringe with a thin, flexible catheter at the end, depending on your agreement with the intended parents. Using an abdominal ultrasound to make sure the embryo is placed precisely; the syringe is delivered through the cervix into the uterus.
- Pregnancy confirmation
You’ll go back to your preferred surrogacy center in Mumbai nine days following the embryo transfer to have an HCG, which gauges your pregnancy hormone levels. A positive, stable pregnancy should be indicated by a count of at least 50 or above. A figure of more than 200 can suggest several pregnancies.
Your HCG levels will be checked again in two days to be sure they are rising; they should double roughly every two days.
- Six-Week Ultrasound
An ultrasound to check for a heartbeat will be performed around the sixth week of pregnancy if your HCG levels were positive after the embryo transfer. If a heartbeat is detected, you might be allowed to return to your OBGYN, who will take care of you for the rest of your surrogacy.
Before you are discharged from the fertility clinic, another ultrasound may be necessary after 12 weeks, depending on your fertility clinic and your agreement with the intended parents. You will continue to have routine checkups between the six- and 12-week marks to monitor your hormone levels and make sure the pregnancy is still healthy.
