Surrogacy Wellness

This part of "Hope and Altruistic Surrogacy" will be a space where tips and ideas for the wellness and well-being of any surrogate can be found. My partner and I feel that the welfare of the surrogate is a very important part of the journey. 

The following is an extract from VARTA. The website has lots of tips and stories for surrogates to read. It is worth spending some time on the site to become as informed as possible.

https://www.varta.org.au/information-support/assisted-reproductive-treatment-art/emotional-physical-and-practical

Social Support

Research shows that social support is very helpful when dealing with the demands of IVF treatment.  Depending on your circumstances you may be able to receive support from your partner, family members, friends or work colleagues. For some, professional support from a counsellor or a member of the IVF team can be beneficial. Having several sources of support is often useful and if you reach out you are likely to find people who are more than willing to listen and help in any way they can.

Staying Informed

Knowing what your options are and feeling that you are making well-informed decisions about your treatment can be helpful and make you feel in control. Clinics have many resources to help patients learn about and understand all aspects of treatment. Doctors and nurses are also useful sources of information and talking to them about what to expect can be valuable. 

Having a Plan

Setting limits for the number of treatment cycles you or your surrogate will have before assessing whether or not to continue IVF treatment can avoid the temptation of ‘trying just one more time’. If you have one or several unsuccessful treatments it’s important to talk to your doctor about how your (or surrogates) results in terms of number of eggs, quality of embryos etc can be used to predict your chances of having a baby if you continue treatment. If, on the basis of this discussion, you decide to have more treatment it may be useful to agree on how many more times you try. Deciding to stop treatment can be emotionally very difficult and you may find it helpful to talk to a clinic counsellor about how to manage this.  



As we meet and talk with potential surrogates and other intended parents it has become very clear that one of the most important things is to ensure everyone is on the same page and everyone's expectations are aligned. 

I will be updating the list of questions we have on the "Hope and Altruistic Surrogacy - Surrogate Resources" page to reflect some additional topics. We think that we need to be clear on expectations before the birth of the child. 

It might take a bit longer to work through all aspects but it is worth it in the long run.