If you’re trying to decide between surrogacy and adoption, there are several important factors to consider, including price, timeline, legislation, etc. This article will explain both practices and help you make the right decision for you and your family.
Surrogacy vs. Adoption: What is the Process?
Surrogacy is a process in which a woman who is a surrogate is matched to the intended parents, conceives via in vitro fertilization (IVF), and receives compensation for carrying the child. There is a traditional surrogacy and gestational surrogacy. In traditional surrogacy, a surrogate’s own egg is used, which makes a surrogate genetically related to the child. Today, this kind of surrogacy is rarely used to avoid further legal and emotional complications. Gestational surrogacy involves using IVF to create an embryo from the intended parents' egg and sperm or donors. In this case, a surrogate has no genetic connection to the child.
How does surrogacy work?
If intended parents decide to use the help of the surrogacy agency, there will be an initial consultation to discuss their needs, preferences, and budget. Then, they will be provided with a clear plan and know what to expect.
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The surrogate selection and matching. Reputable agencies have a more extensive surrogate database and can provide intended parents with several options.
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Medical and psychological screenings. After the intended parents are matched with a surrogate, both they and the surrogate will undergo medical and psychological screenings to ensure the absence of infectious diseases and mental and genetic disorders.
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Legal. Both intended parents and a surrogate sign a legal agreement outlining their rights, responsibilities, and compensation for the surrogate.
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After the above steps are completed, a clinic performs in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and transfers the embryo into the surrogate’s uterus.
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After birth, the baby is handed over to the intended parents.
How does adoption work?
In adoption, you bring a child into your family who is not biologically related to you or your partner. Usually, families use help from foster homes or adoption agencies to adopt a child.
Depending on whether you want to adopt an infant or an older child, you might have to work with the birth mother in the process. In adoption, medical screening for birth mothers is often less thorough. Pregnant women considering adoption are typically asked to disclose any drug or alcohol use, along with their social and medical history, and they may or may not choose to receive prenatal care.
Adoptive parents typically go through medical, financial, and legal screening to make sure that they are capable of providing a healthy and stable home for a child. In the adoption process, it’s usually the birth mother who decides whether she’s willing to give up her child for adoption and on what conditions.
Surrogacy vs. Adoption: Pros and Cons
Is one better than the other? The answer is more complex. Both surrogacy and adoption have their pros and cons.
Families considering adoption often feel that they have an opportunity to give a good home to a child who, otherwise, would not have one. Sometimes, families think that adoption is less expensive than surrogacy. However, it’s not always the case. We will look at costs in detail further below.
Quite often, families want to adopt an infant. It’s important to remember that the adoptive child can be older. There is a high demand for infants in the adoption industry. On the other hand, you can wait longer to find a surrogate. The success of finding a compatible surrogate largely depends on the agency you work with. Expert agencies have a more extensive surrogate database, and the wait time can be significantly shorter.
Another advantage of surrogacy is that a surrogate is usually willing to spend time with the intended parents and share the pregnancy experiences with them. This kind of involvement is rarely possible in case of adoption.
And finally, the huge factor to consider is the legal process. With compensated surrogacy, the legal side of things is clear. Intended parents can anticipate the birth of their child with joy and excitement. Even though the child has not been born yet, they legally belong to the intended parents. In the case of adoption, the birth mother has the right to change her mind until the baby is born and both parties sign the adoption papers. Often, birth parents want to stay in the child’s life even after the adoption process is complete. This also brings emotional complications into consideration.
Surrogacy vs. Adoption: How Much Does Each Cost?
As we mentioned above, in some cases, adoption can cost less than surrogacy, but that’s not always the case. Surrogacy and adoption involve many services and fees, including agency, legal, and medical expenses.
Birth mothers receive no compensation for carrying and giving birth other than some assistance with medical expenses. It is generally prohibited by law to be paid for giving up your child for adoption. However, the legal process can be long and expensive, depending on the situation and the country you choose to adopt from.
With surrogacy, the legal process is usually more straightforward, but IVF treatments and surrogate compensation are involved. The cost also depends on how many IVF rounds are needed and whether intended parents donate their material or use a donor’s eggs.
The total surrogacy cost depends on many factors. See our detailed information on costs here.
Surrogacy vs. Adoption: Timeline
Even though there is no precise time for how long you’ll have to wait until you hold your child, there is a timeline estimate based on the process and our experience. For World Center of Baby, it takes, on average, 1 to 6 months to provide a successful surrogate matching and screening process. The next step is embryo transfer, which some surrogates need to undergo just once to get pregnant and others a few times. After embryo transfer is completed, the intended parents can participate in pregnancy milestones and joyfully anticipate the birth of their baby.
When pursuing adoption, families undergo rigorous screening to ensure they can provide a healthy and safe home to a child. Then, they wait to be selected by a woman who is carrying a child or to be accepted into an adoption waitlist through an agency. The adoption timeline for international adoptions via adoption agencies and orphanages also varies greatly.
Final Thoughts
Both adoption and surrogacy are complex journeys that require financial and emotional dedication. What path to choose will depend on your unique goals and situation. Contact us for guidance and details if you wish to learn more about surrogacy.
