How Will Surrogacy Affect My Body?
Pregnancy, whether you are a surrogate or pregnant with your own baby, is pretty much the same physically. The real difference is in HOW you become pregnant. There is a lot of preparation in preparing the body for an IVF Cycle (in vitro fertilization).
In a nutshell: your fertility specialist may prescribe progesterone—a hormone that helps prepare the uterus for implantation and supports pregnancy, Estrogen, and a number of other medications to support your body before, during, and after your pregnancy. Some of these medications are taken via injection. Some are patches or pills or even vaginal suppositories. (Progesterone can be continued for up to 10 weeks following a positive pregnancy test.) Some of these hormones will cause you to have mood swings or hot flashes but these side effects often disappear once you have had the embryo transfer. You will be monitored very closely and this would mean that you have quite a few appointments to attend that involve ultrasounds and blood draws. Once you are ready for the embryo transfer you will have some final preparations and be expected to carry on quite normally while waiting to take a blood test 10 days to 2 weeks after the embryo is transferred. Once you are deemed pregnant and are released from the fertility clinic to your own OB you can expect to be treated just like any other normal pregnant woman. How your body reacts to pregnancy varies from woman to woman but you should expect something similar to what your own past pregnancies were like. Once you have the baby, eating well and exercising will bring your body back to your pre-baby shape!