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Surrogate pregnancy: an essential guide for clinicians
Author(s) -
Bhatia Kalsang,
Martindale Elizabeth A,
Rustamov Oybek,
Nysenbaum Anthony M
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
the obstetrician and gynaecologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1744-4667
pISSN - 1467-2561
DOI - 10.1576/toag.11.1.49.27468
Subject(s) - medicine , project commissioning , ethical issues , family medicine , maternity care , pregnancy , informed consent , gynecology , publishing , obstetrics , psychology , nursing , alternative medicine , health care , political science , law , engineering ethics , pathology , biology , genetics , engineering
• The incidence of surrogacy is rising. • Literature on associated obstetric risks is scarce and caution must be exercised when labelling surrogate pregnancies as low risk. • Although obstetricians’ responsibilities lie with the surrogate mother, they must ensure her wishes do not conflict with the best interests of the baby. • Prepregnancy counselling is the key to a successful surrogacy arrangement.Learning objectives:• To gain an awareness of the different types of surrogacy. • To understand the law surrounding surrogacy. • To learn about antenatal, intrapartum and postpartum care in surrogacy.Ethical issues:• When the surrogate mother's wishes and the interests of the child conflict, do obstetricians have the right to discuss this with the commissioning parents without her consent? • When should obstetricians seek ethical and legal support?Please cite this article as: Bhatia K, Martindale EA, Rustamov O, Nysenbaum AM. Surrogate pregnancy: an essential guide for clinicians. The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist 2009;11:49–54.