Helpful Mothering
A surrogate is a woman whose uterus is used to house the growing fetus of another couple. Often, the surrogate is paid handsomely for her time and discomfort. Women who do not have a functional uterus of their own, who would experience dangerous complications during childbirth, or whose reproductive systems have been damaged by disease or accident may choose to hire a surrogate to 'stand in' for their infant until the baby is born.
Surrogate situations are not at all uncommon, especially by couples who have struggled to conceive. In this case, fertilisation ordinarily takes place in a petri dish. The couple's fertilised egg is then injected into the surrogate's uterus.
While some surrogate arrangements allow the woman to continue living her own life as she chooses during the pregnancy, others may be more restrictive, dictating the surrogate's diet, habits, and daily exercise. These arrangements are often worked out far in advance and may need the involvement of a lawyer.
Conception and the Surrogate
Timing of the injection is important to the implantation of the egg. The best time for injection is immediately after the surrogate herself has ovulated, causing the body to (hopefully) mistake the injected egg for the woman's own and allow it to successfully implant in the uterus.
To achieve this result, surrogates often turn to the use of an ovulation test. An ovulation test is similar in design to a pregnancy test. There are two kinds of ovulation test on the market today, and both types of ovulation test measure luteinizing hormone (LH), the hormone responsible for triggering the release of the egg.
There is a seven-day daily ovulation test, useful in pinpointing the two most fertile days out of any given week. This ovulation test involves a bit of basic math and some ability to predict one's own menstrual cycle. For women with irregular cycles, there is a twenty-day daily ovulation test, which gives a much better 'overview' of the woman's entire menstrual cycle.
Try, Try Again
Negative results on an ovulation test are similar to getting negative results on a pregnancy test - you just have to keep trying. Every woman ovulates once a month, so you should get one positive result out of an ovulation test during a twenty-eight day time period. However, if you've been taking a daily ovulation test for over a month with no positive results, or are getting an inconsistent series of results on the same kind of ovulation test, you may want to consult with your doctor. Lack of positive results could be evidence of a serious problem with your reproductive system.
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