IS MY BABY GENETICALLY RELATED TO THE SURROGATE OR TO ME?
Couples who are considering becoming parents through surrogacy, are very curious about the process of surrogacy and have a lot of questions regarding the process. It is very reasonable for the couples to have such doubts.
So, we are going to simplify it and we will provide answers to the most common questions concerning genetics and surrogacy.
“Is the baby born through surrogacy genetically linked to the surrogate mother?”
- “Are surrogate mothers the biological mothers?”
- “Does a surrogate mother contribute to the genetic make up of baby?”
- “Does a surrogate mother share DNA with the baby?”
- “Does the baby born by surrogacy look like the surrogate mother?”
To understand this the couples should know that the biological parents are the couples whose gamete is used.
Biological Father: Male whose sperm is used (gamete is used).
Biological Mother: Female whose oocyte/egg is used (gamete) An embryo is made in the laboratory by IVF / ICSI using egg and sperm from of the intended parents, and is later transferred to the gestational surrogate’s womb/uterus to be carried till term.
Thereby, gestational surrogates are not genetically related to the baby they carry in their uterus , the baby born is only genetically related to the person whose sperm and egg is used to make the embryo.
A person’s genetic composition is determined by the DNA inherited. Couples need to understand that the genetic material of the embryo is half contributed by the male ( sperm , containing DNA from the male partner ) and the other half by female (oocyte, containing DNA from the female partner). Therefore, regardless of the person / surrogate whose uterus that a baby grows in, the DNA ( genetic material) will only come from the individuals who created that embryo. As the physical appearance is determined by the genetic makeup of an individual, the possibility of the baby looking like the biological/genetic parents is more, but there is never a 100% guarantee that the child will resemble the biological parents.