the surrogate is pregnant of the egg of the intended mother
the surrogate is pregnant of the egg of an egg donor
It is possible that the prospective parents have an egg available but no sperm (or sperm cells). In that case, a sperm donor may be necessary. Donating both the egg and sperm in combination with a surrogate mother is discouraged.
In the Netherlands, the surrogate is often known to the intended parents. But sometimes the surrogate is someone the intended parents get to know during the orientation phase of surrogacy. Usually, the intended parents and the surrogate mother have built a good bond before the surrogate mother becomes pregnant.
Numbers
There are no available statistics about how many children are born with a surrogate's assistance in the Netherlands. It is also not known how many children are born in this way each year.
History
gestational surrogacy
The first surrogacy processes mediated by a clinic in the Netherlands took place in 1997. The intended parents' own genetic material (egg and sperm) was used in these processes. Since 2019, male couples have been able to follow surrogacy processes in the Netherlands too, with the help of an egg donor and surrogate.
Surrogacy where the surrogate uses her own egg to get pregnant without medical assistance has been around for a long time. For example, a woman who carries a child for a sister with fertility problems.
going abroad
In the last twenty years, people have also gone abroad for surrogacy processes.
Besides practical benefits (i.e. in costs and travel time), surrogacy in the Netherlands has major advantages for the future child. It provides the child with greater opportunities to build relationships with the surrogate and possible egg donor and their families. Furthermore, in the Netherlands, it is easier to safeguard the ethical, psychosocial, medical and legal interests of everyone involved.
Is surrogacy permitted in the Netherlands?
Surrogacy is legal in the Netherlands providing you follow the right steps. The process you follow mustn't run counter to Dutch law and Dutch public order.
However, it's prohibited:
to make public appeals for surrogates or to offer yourself as a surrogate
It's also prohibited to work as a (commercial) intermediary between intended parents and surrogates
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