Surrogacy is a reproductive process where a female enters into an agreement to be pregnant and give birth to a child that she will not raise, and in return, she receives compensation from the intended parents (Shenfield et al., 2005) . The woman carrying the pregnancy is known as a surrogate mother. Like any pregnancy, surrogate pregnancy has its complications that may lead to pregnancy loss and stillbirth among others. Surrogate pregnancy loss is the giving of birth of a child before the gestational period is over as a result of complications by the host mother. In this paper, the expected surrogate pregnancy loss, as well as the unexpected surrogate pregnancy loss, is well elucidated.
Firstly, any loss is hard to bear expected or no, and it is more difficult when it is a pregnancy loss. Despite undergoing all health checkups and emerging the best surrogate candidate, there still exist some pregnancy issues that may lead to pregnancy loss which can be expected or unexpected. For instance, health-related problems can lead to pregnancy loss. They include miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy and obstetric complications (Thompson, 2016, August 16) . The health-related complications are more devastating in the case of multiple pregnancies. Seemingly, miscarriage is the leading cause of pregnancy loss among surrogate mothers (Thompson, 2016, August 16) . Some of the factors that lead to a miscarriage include chromosomal abnormality, incompetent cervix, uterine abnormality, immunological disorders, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), and untreated diseases such as Thyroid problems (Thompson, 2016, August 16) .
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
On the other hand, Ectopic pregnancy with In Vitro Fertilization adds up to one percent of pregnancy losses ("Risks of Surrogacy", 2018). If a surrogate mother has an ectopic pregnancy, she is given medication to terminate the pregnancy or undergo surgery to remove it ("Risks of Surrogacy", 2018). Similarly, obstetric complications such as preeclampsia, placenta accreta, anemia and obstetric hemorrhage pose a threat to pregnancy loss. Preeclampsia is a disease characterized by Hypertension, protenuria and fluid buildup in feet and ankles (Hodson, 2018). The disease poses life-threatening challenges such as seizures and blood disorders. Placenta accreta is a situation where the placenta penetrates too deep into the uterine wall. Preeclampsia, placenta accreta, anemia, and obstetric hemorrhage are life-threatening when surrogate mothers have multiple fetuses that increases the chances of giving birth prematurely (Hodson, 2018). Additionally, surrogate mother may opt for fetal reduction, that is, abortion of the multiple fetuses to remain with one.
Also, the lifestyle of the surrogate mother may determine the development of the pregnancy. If the surrogate mother breaks the contractual agreement and indulges in drug abuse, smoking, alcoholism, and environmental toxins then the chances of pregnancy loss increase (Hodson, 2018). For instance, nicotine closes the placenta thus blocking the supply of important nutrient and exchange of respiratory gases between mother and child (Hodson, 2018). The result is a loss of the pregnancy. In the same vein, smoking surrogate mothers have higher chances of miscarriage. Similarly, excessive drinking by surrogate mothers has a consequential end result of premature birth. Moreover, exposure of surrogate mothers to certain environmental conditions that use toxic chemicals such as farms, laboratories, operation rooms, and greenhouses among others are known to increase the chance of loss of the unborn child via miscarriage (Hodson, 2018).
Overall, pregnancy loss in surrogate mothers may be expected or unexpected. The surrogate mother should be very keen when indulging in some lifestyles so as to reduce the expected pregnancy loss. On the other hand, the intended parents should encourage regular checkups to assess the well being of the developing fetus. If it is life-threatening, both parties should come up with an amicable solution. Additionally, in the case of complications related to multiple fetuses, the surrogate mother and intended parents should get advice from a specialist so that the best solution is arrived at. Finally, surrogate pregnancy is like normal pregnancy thus concerned parties should anticipate any potential obstacles such as pregnancy loss during the pregnancy journey.
References
Hodson, N. (2018). Surrogacy, Obstetric Risk and the Kardashian Wests | Journal of Medical Ethics blog. Retrieved from https://blogs.bmj.com/medical-ethics/2018/02/19/surrogacy-obstetric-risk-and-the-kardashian-wests/
Risks of Surrogacy. (2018). Retrieved from http://www.happybeginningseggdonation.com/risks_of_surrogacy
Shenfield F, Pennings G, Cohen J, Devroey P, deWert G, Tarlatzis B. ESHRE Task Force on Ethics and Law 10: surrogacy. Hum Reprod 2005;20:2705 –2707
Thompson, T. (2016, August 16). Seven Most Common Miscarriage Causes. Retrieved from https://www.parenting.com/article/seven-most-common-miscarriage-causes
