Nuts & Bolts of Surrogacy (Repost from my previous blog)

For those of you that have followed my journey in the past, this is a repost of many of the aspects of my very first from that journey.  Here is a link if you want to read the whole thing, but I caution you... I did leave it hanging. I never concluded the journey....  and never wrapped up the blog because honestly, I was so sad that I was not able to see it through for them! 

http://oursecondchanceatahappyending.blogspot.com/2014_03_01_archive.html

For those of you who may not know, let me give you a little run down of some terms I might use before you are lost in translation.

I am a GS (Gestational Surrogate-- my uterus is going to grow a baby that is genetically unrelated to me)
IM- Intended Mother -- AKA Baby mama
IF- Intended Father -- AKA Baby Daddy
5 day transfer - Egg met sperm and for 5 days, they grew into an embryo in a petri dish then they were frozen. 
__dp5dt -- Insert any number in the blank and that is how many days I am past a 5 day transfer.  For those of you that know about ovulation, you add the 5 plus the number in the blank to get the dpo (days past ovulation).  Really the only important thing this is for is using pregnancy tests-- Like 'This test is from 5dp5dt which would be 10dpo.  Get it?  Umm if not, that's okay-- just look at pretty pee sticks with me!

Just as a little background for what a surrogate goes through... Just from a medical and legal standpoint (more about our relationship in a bit).  Prior to transfer, there is a lot of leg work that goes into being a surrogate.  This is just a basic list, there are some other things that I am obviously leaving out like psych testing and the like. 

1. First you have to meet a couple either through an agency or through an independent journey.    

2.  Then you have to agree on some topics that no one wants to think about-- selective reduction, what to do in the case of a deformity or anomaly incompatible with life for the baby, money (whether it is compensation or even just how much to reimburse a babysitter for child care during bedrest).  

3. Then you have to go to the clinic and have some testing done-- go through medical records, have some testing done on your uterus (Imagine a speculum, weenie wand and a syringe full of saline all in your vagina at once!  Not for the faint of heart!)  

4.  Contract writing time-- sometimes the most frustrating part of the process and not because you don't agree on things, but because it is the hurry up and wait part of the process.  Even a good attorney can get things wrong in their blanket contract so having to go back and forth for weeks while rushing to get it done in time for a transfer is nerve wracking!  Sometimes there are weird things in your contract like you can't use sun tan lotion or bug spray while pregnant or things like no queso from Mexican restaurants. 

5.  Medications start!  For me, my medications included estrogen orally twice a day from CD2 (Cycle day 2-- the second day of your period) until about 10-12 weeks pregnant, Progesterone vaginal suppositories three times a day from CD 15 until 10-12 weeks pregnant, a whopping dose of steroids starting 3 days before transfer and continuing until night of transfer, antibiotics twice a day 2 days before transfer and continuing until the day after transfer and then valium the day of transfer. 

6. From the time medications start, you have to have more testing done-- 3 vaginal ultrasounds to measure the lining of your uterus to make sure its nice and fluffy for an embyro to snuggle in for 9 months.  Also blood work to make sure you aren't ovulating and other FDA testing including HIV and Hep.  

7.  Finally comes the chance to get pregnant.  For the transfer (I will have more info on this tomorrow since this is my first time doing GS), you go into the clinic and with an ultrasound, they guide the embryo into your uterus and hopefully the embryo thinks its a nice place to hang out and grow for about 9 months! 

So there you have it, the logistics of surrogacy. I have had many people ask me about how it all works, so hopefully that simplifies it for my friends who don't know much about surrogacy!  


I just want to reiterate again, this is from my last journey-- it is not a new post, but for those of you that are reading and have never read about surrogacy, it was worth reposting so you have an idea of what we are about to go through :)  I will repost the transfer process again as well just so everyone has an idea of how and what will happen!

Cheers!