Who shares the surrogate baby DNA?
It’s a question that many people considering surrogacy ask, especially women thinking about becoming a gestational carrier. Issues surrounding gestational surrogate DNA are extremely important. If you are contemplating surrogacy, we want you to have a clear picture of what that means — for yourself, for the intended parents and for the baby.
We’re going to provide all of the information you need about surrogate baby DNA in this guide. Hopefully, by the end, you’ll have a better understanding of the surrogacy process, and more confidence in your decision to become a gestational carrier.
Surrogate Baby DNA
The relationship between the gestational carrier and the baby can be confusing, especially if you are not familiar with the surrogacy process. Most people assume there is some sort of surrogate-baby DNA connection. However, this is not usually the case.
Whether or not the surrogate will have any genetic relationship to the child depends on the type of surrogacy you choose.
Gestational Surrogacy vs. Traditional Surrogacy
There are, broadly speaking, two types of surrogacy.
- Gestational surrogacy: A process in which an intended parent’s or donor’s eggs are used for the embryo transfer and fertilization
- Traditional surrogacy: A process in which the surrogate’s own egg is used for fertilization
What does this mean for surrogate baby DNA? In a traditional surrogacy, the surrogate and the child do share DNA, because the surrogate’s own egg is used in creating the pregnancy. However, there are very few — if any — professional surrogacy programs that will provide services for a traditional surrogacy.
Why Southern Surrogacy Only Services Gestational Surrogacy
Our team at Southern Surrogacy will only provide services for gestational surrogacy. In gestational surrogacy, there is no way for a surrogate to transfer DNA to a child, because the intended mother’s or donor’s egg is used instead of the gestational surrogate’s.
This complete separation of surrogate-baby DNA is an important point, because it protects everyone involved in the process. It is one of several reasons why Southern Surrogacy (along with the vast majority of surrogacy programs and fertility clinics) will only provide services for gestational surrogacies.
When considering how gestational surrogacy prohibits any chance of there being surrogate mother DNA in the baby, there are two primary benefits:
Gestational surrogacies carry less legal risk.
Family law attorneys prefer gestational surrogacy because it is a much more straightforward legal matter. In the case of traditional surrogacy, the biological bond between the surrogate and the baby creates additional legal hurdles, which can add unnecessary challenges and risks to the process.
When it comes to providing you with the best legal services for surrogacy, we have something unique to offer. Our surrogacy program is actually owned by Claiborne | Fox | Bradley | Goldman, a local law firm that specializes in family-building options. So, when we speak on the legal benefits of gestational surrogacy, we have the experience and expertise to back it up.
Gestational surrogacies create a clear distinction between the carrier and the baby.
Carrying a child in the surrogacy process can be a complicated and delicate emotional journey. Adding a direct biological connection to the baby can make things much more difficult and confusing. Gestational surrogacy, through the use of an intended parent’s or donor’s egg, creates a helpful separation for gestational carriers, so that they can know without a doubt that there is none of the surrogate’s DNA involved.
For these reasons, among others, our surrogacy program only offers services for the gestational surrogacy process. If you are considering becoming a carrier, it’s worth considering how important these points are in providing you personal and legal security.
Common Questions about Surrogate Baby DNA
As you can see, there is no surrogate mother DNA connected to the baby in the gestational surrogacy process. There are a few more common questions we hear from women considering surrogacy, and we’d like to answer those below.
Does a surrogate mother transfer DNA to the baby?
Some women worry that, even with an intended mother’s or donor’s egg, there could be a transfer of DNA. This is a totally natural assumption to make. However, the truth is that there is no transfer of DNA during pregnancy in a gestational surrogacy.
Do surrogate mothers contribute DNA?
Gestational carriers do not contribute any DNA during the IVF process. Instead, the intended parent(s) contribute their own egg, or a donor egg is chosen by the intended parents in a separate process.
How does a baby not have surrogate mother DNA?
Through the use of donor egg and sperm, the advances of modern medicine have allowed for the gestational surrogacy process to completely protect the surrogate by ensuring that she will not share any DNA with the child.
What DNA does a surrogate baby have?
It depends on the process used by the intended parents. Some intended parents and able to use their own egg and sperm, while others need one or both donated. Either way, there is no surrogate-baby DNA connection.
What This Means for You
Our commitment to providing personalized care in the gestational surrogacy process means you will be protected and supported. Complicated, emotional questions about surrogate baby DNA are eliminated through the use of a donor egg. While the journey can be an emotional one for a gestational carrier, you will not have the added complexity of knowing that the baby is biologically related to you.
Through the gestational surrogacy process with Southern Surrogacy, you can be confident that best practices are being employed for your benefit.
Contact Us Today
Are you interested in learning more, or in beginning your process today? Let’s talk. Contact us online to learn more about our surrogacy program and how you could start your journey.
