Genetic diseases. How will surrogacy help give birth to a healthy baby?

1. 🩺 In case of which genetic diseases can a surrogate mother be used?
2. 🤰 How does the surrogate mother's genetics affect the genetics of the child?
3. ⭐ How do we choose a healthy embryo (PGD)?

In case of which genetic diseases can a surrogate mother be used?

To date, there are many hereditary diseases that are dangerous for the health of a child. Among them are hemophilia, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and many others. In case of genetic diseases, pregnancy may be contraindicated for a woman, in other cases gestation may be allowed, but subject to the use of a donor egg. But for any of these options, you have the opportunity to use the services of a surrogate mother. The health of surrogates is a top concern in surrogacy arrangements, ensuring that disease not surrogates is a primary focus.

The use of donor eggs and surrogate motherhood completely eliminates the risk of a child inheriting your genetic diseases. In this case, a healthy donor egg will be taken and fertilized in vitro with the sperm of the man from your married couple. After that, the doctors will choose a healthy embryo without genetic abnormalities and place it in the uterus of a surrogate mother. She bears and gives birth to your child. So the long-awaited baby will come in your family!

Many couples who want to use the service of surrogate motherhood are afraid that the genetics of the surrogate mother will affect the health of their child. One common misconception about surrogacy is: can a surrogate pass a DNA to the baby she carries? In modern gestational surrogacy practices a surrogate does not pass on their genes to the baby. This distinction ensures that the child shares genetic ties with the intended parents or donors. So this widespread fear is absolutely not justified.

The surrogate mother bears a child, provides him/her with the necessary environment for growth and nutrients, but does not affect his/her genes. The genotype of the child is formed during fertilization during IVF. To ensure that the child’s genotype is healthy and does not contain genes with dangerous mutations, preimplantation diagnosis is performed.

How does the surrogate mother's genetics affect the genetics of the child?

Many couples who want to use the service of surrogate motherhood are afraid that the genetics of the surrogate mother will affect the health of their child. But this widespread fear is absolutely not justified.

The surrogate mother bears a child, provides him/her with the necessary environment for growth and nutrients, but does not affect his/her genes. The genotype of the child is formed during fertilization during IVF. To ensure that the child’s genotype is healthy and does not contain genes with dangerous mutations, preimplantation diagnosis is performed.

How do we choose a healthy embryo (PGD)?

In order to ensure that your child does not inherit genetic diseases, you can use a special service - pre-implantation diagnosis (PGD).

Hopefully, after this article, you no longer have the sense to worry about whether does a surrogate mother share dna with the baby. In the Feskov Human Reproduction Group, we analyze the embryo for all genes for all currently known inherited diseases and mutations. We guarantee the birth of a child with a healthy genotype, who will not have the risk of hereditary diseases.

This is done as follows. First, the DNA of the man from your couple and of the egg donor is analyzed, it turns out that for which hereditary diseases there are risks. Then the IVF procedure is carried out and the embryos obtained are placed in a special environment that is close to the natural environment of the uterus. On days 5-6, we examine the embryos and choose a completely healthy one that does not carry gene mutations. This embryo is transferred to the uterus of a surrogate mother.

After that, for 9 months we will closely monitor the state of the surrogate mother and fetus. And then an absolutely healthy child will be born for you, and your “severe heredity” will not play any role in his/her life!

Authors, contributors:

Olena Somova
Embryologist

published: 18 February 2019
updated   : 13 January 2024

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