Surrogacy is often deemed a widely popular assisted reproductive technique where a surrogate mother carries and delivers the child for the intended parents. While the arrangement may or may not be commercial in nature (depending on the surrogacy laws of the country), the intended parents need to make their plans accordingly.
On the other side many intended parents come with concerns related to’ Is my child going to carry a resemblance with the surrogate mother’ or Will the Baby Look Like the Surrogate?
This happens usually when they are about to find a surrogate for their surrogacy journey. While this depends on a list of factors and elements, we discuss this question in detail in the following parts of the blog.
Will the Baby Look Like the Surrogate Mother?
Genetic Influences
We all know about the role played by genetics in deciding the physical traits of a person. So, when we talk about surrogacy, the same rule may also come into play. Moreover, certain surrogacy arrangements involve intended parents as egg donors and sperm donors. So, technically, the embryo is developed out of the gametes derived from the intended parents only.
Hence, we can say that the surrogate mother won’t be having any genetic connection with the child born via surrogacy.
On the other hand, if you are searching for a surrogate mother in Ukraine or any other country around the world, you must first verify their background and key characteristics.
While the child is not genetically connected with the surrogate in Ukraine, it may still carry some characteristic traits from the birth mother.
Prenatal Influences
During pregnancy, the surrogate mother provides the nurturing environment necessary for the development of the fetus.
Factors such as the surrogate’s health, nutrition, lifestyle choices, and exposure to certain substances can influence the baby’s growth and development.
However, these factors primarily affect the overall health and well-being of the child rather than their physical appearance.
Epigenetic and Gene Expression
Epigenetics refers to changes in gene expression that occur without altering the underlying DNA sequence. Moreover, environmental factors, including the surrogate’s lifestyle and the prenatal environment, can influence the epigenetic marks on genes, potentially affecting how those genes are expressed in the child.
However, the extent to which these epigenetic changes impact physical appearance remains a subject of ongoing research and is not the sole determinant of resemblance.
On the other hand, during your search for a trusted surrogate in Ukraine, always connect with a surrogacy agency for the best results. While the agency will screen and test the surrogate mother for any physical or mental health issues, they will further scrutinize her background and other key traits.
Family Resemblance
While the surrogate does not contribute genetically to the child’s appearance, the child may still bear some resemblance to the intended parents or their extended family members. That said, this resemblance can be attributed to shared genetic traits between the intended parents or genetic similarities with relatives on either side.
Moreover, the family resemblance is more about gametes that have been derived from the intended parents, without involving any genetic contributions from the surrogate mother.
So, if we talk about this specific aspect, it doesn’t seem like bringing any resemblance between the surrogate mother in Ukraine and the born child.
Environmental Influences
Post the birth of the child, factors like nutrition and care will eventually shape its physical traits. On the other hand, the support and upbringing provided by the intended parents in terms of diet, cultural choices and physical surroundings will also play a key role in the overall growth and development of the born child.
However, this is not specific to the child born via surrogacy and applies to even the kids born via natural conception or other methods. So, the intended parents need not worry about this aspect either. Yet, the best thing they can do in this regard is to find the most suitable surrogate mother for their specific case.
How to find the most suitable surrogate mother in Ukraine?
To kick-start your search, there are a few points that you must make yourself familiar with beforehand. Being an intended parent, you can either search for a surrogate mother on your own or via a surrogacy agency in Ukraine.
In case you are searching for a surrogate mother all by yourself, you must stay ready to take care of the key tasks like surrogate screening, medical assessment and matching. For the start, the surrogate mother must fulfil the following prerequisites before getting on board your surrogacy journey.
- She must be physically and mentally healthy
- The surrogate must not be coming on board with any addiction to smoking, alcohol or any harmful substances.
- She must be ready to cooperate with the doctors and physicians of the IVF clinics during the pre-pregnancy and post-pregnancy phase
- The surrogate must be ready to hand over the child to the intended parents after its birth, according to the guidelines mentioned in surrogacy laws in Ukraine
- She must also be ready to undergo all the tests and screenings required to check on her capability to carry the child for the intended parents
Being an intended parent, you may or may not be able to take care of all the associated tasks and responsibilities. So, it’s always recommended to connect with a surrogacy agency that can help you deal with all of them in the best manner possible.
By doing that, you can further focus on your daily activities and professional commitment while going along with the surrogacy arrangement without any hassle.
Final words
The role played by the surrogate mother during a surrogacy arrangement is quite imperative. Still, the physical traits of the born child would largely be determined by the biological contribution of the intended parents.
Apart from that, other key aspects mentioned above would also come into play while deciding on these physical traits. That said, it is highly unlikely that your child would resemble the surrogate mother in Ukraine. On the other hand, it is always crucial and recommended to connect with a trusted surrogacy agency to bring out the best results for your surrogacy journey.
That way, you can ensure that the best care and support have been provided to the surrogate and the future child by every means possible.
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