Georgian surrogates are gestational carriers. This means that the embryo transferred into their womb is created in a lab using the intended mother’s (or donor) egg. With no biological connection to the child, gestational surrogacy is the least legally complicated form of surrogacy — and the most successful one.
Who can become a surrogate mother?
All surrogate mothers need to meet pre-set requirements that are meant to protect all parties involved and to ensure a successful pregnancy and birth. The AtlasCARE IVF and surrogacy clinic selects surrogate mothers based on the following criteria:
- Be aged 24-35 years
- Be in good physical and mental health
- Have carried her own baby to term and have delivered at least one child naturally
- Have had pregnancies that were all free of complications and were full term
- Be in a stable living situation
- Do not smoke or abuse alcohol
- Be punctual for the appointments & be willing to complete all steps of the surrogacy process
Medical screening
All potential surrogates go through a medical screening process to make sure that they are healthy enough and emotionally prepared for the process ahead. This step involves:
- Review of the candidate’s medical history
- Pap smear and physical exam
- Infectious disease screening and other bloodwork
- Hysteroscopy to determine the shape and size of the uterus and ensure the fallopian tubes are opened
- Sonogram to identify fibroids or anything else that might interfere with pregnancy
In addition, candidates should provide birth records to confirm any previous pregnancies as well as criminal records to prove that they have a clean criminal background.
Reasons why someone might need a gestational surrogate
Surrogacy may be a viable option if you have:
- Absence of uterus
- Uterine scarrings and fibroids
- Serious heart or kidney diseases that can make a pregnancy high risk
- Surgical removal of all or parts of the uterus (hysterectomy)
- Recurrent miscarriages
- Personal reasons
Surrogacy in Georgia is also available for patients who were not able to get pregnant after several cycles of IVF. Same-sex couples who wish to have children can build a family only by using a gestational carrier.
How are intended parents and surrogates matched?
One of the most important steps in the surrogacy process is finding the right surrogate. If intended parents have any specific requirements about the surrogate mother, they inform our medical team and we make the selection accordingly. The AtlasCARE team reviews a few matching profiles and selects the candidate with the best uterus.
After the match has been done, the AtlasCARE IVF doctor will perform various tests and scans on the selected surrogates and choose the candidate with the best uterus. The physical features of the gestational carrier are not important — the living conditions, test results, health, uterus and commitment are far more important for the success of the treatment.
Treatment process explained
Depending on your diagnosis and prospects for success, you may be recommended one of the following options:
Whether it’s with your own egg and sperm, donor eggs or donor sperm, the surrogacy process always starts by synchronizing the menstrual cycles of the intended mother/egg donor and the gestational surrogate. The mother/donor will then begin a course of fertility medications to stimulate the growth of multiple eggs. Once the eggs become mature, an egg retrieval procedure will be performed at the AtlasCARE Clinic. Collected eggs will be fertilized with the intended father’s (or donor) sperm and the fertilized eggs (embryos) will be cultured in the lab for 3 to 5 days.
While the intended mother/donor is preparing for the egg retrieval, the gestational surrogate will take progesterone supplements to prepare her uterine lining for pregnancy. On day 3 or day 5 after egg collection, one or more embryos will be placed into her uterus. Twelve days after the embryo transfer, a pregnancy test will be performed to determine whether pregnancy was successfully established.
What should parents expect after delivery?
According to the laws in Georgia, the baby should be genetically related either to the intended father, the intended mother or to both of them. Once the baby is born, intended parents have the right to take the baby as their own. The intended mother and father are officially recognized as the legal parents of the child(ren) born as a result of surrogacy.
If the child was conceived using donor eggs/sperm and was born by a surrogate mother, again the couple will be registered as the official parents of the child. The birth certificate of a child born through surrogacy is no different than a birth certificate of children born by the mother herself.
Birth certificates are issued by The House of Justice in Georgia after the baby is born. Our lawyer assists you in preparing the application documents. Birth certificates are given approximately within 2-10 working days depending on the House of Justice’s workload. Consent of the surrogate mother is not required for registration.
Start your journey to parenthood with AtlasCARE!
Through a unique mixture of surrogacy and fertility services, cutting-edge technology and commitment to care, the AtlasCARE IVF & Surrogacy clinic in Tbilisi, Georgia offers a variety of international treatment programs tailored to the needs of both intended parents and surrogate mothers.
From medical screening services to personalized treatment plans to coordinating the entire surrogacy process, you can rest assured that with AtlasCARE you will have the education, guidance and support you need every step of the way to becoming a parent.
Start your journey to parenthood today by scheduling a free video consultation with our expert team!