Surrogacy
Surrogacy refers to a treatment process, in which a woman (the surrogate mother) agrees to undergo embryo transfer and then carry the pregnancy for another woman or couple (the intended or commissioning parents). Surrogacy is a highly complex process encompassing significant medical, emotional and legal aspects for all parties involved. It is essential that both the surrogate mother and the intended parents understand their roles and limitations.
Dr Diamantopoulos has the experience to help patients create families through surrogacy. A face-to-face or skype consultation is needed, to obtain a detailed medical history in order to highlight potential factors that can compromise the outcome of a future pregnancy. Follow-up consultations to ensure that every single scenario has been discussed and all your questions and concerns have been addressed may take place if required. If you wish, we can assist with where to seek legal advice in order to help you better understand the Greek law around surrogacy and the steps you need to follow to successfully complete the process.
Surrogacy in Greece
Surrogacy in Greece is permitted by law and is one of the few countries to provide legal protection to the intended parents. The surrogate mother has no legal rights over the child. According to the current legislation the baby is born under the name of the intended parents only, making Greece a very attractive destination for surrogacy.
Surrogacy has been legally approved since 2002 and as from July 2014 has been allowed to patients from abroad receive surrogacy treatment in Greece.
Surrogacy is allowed for married couples, co-habiting couples or single women.
The surrogate can be someone you know, either a close friend or a relative, unlike egg or sperm donors who are anonymous.
The surrogate mother cannot be genetically linked to the baby and the eggs used must not belong to her. Therefore surrogacy may be achieved with the intended mother’s eggs, or with an egg donor. Similarly the sperm can come from the intended father or from a sperm donor.
Surrogacy in Greece is altruistic and there is no financial exchange. However the intended parents would need to cover the cost of any medical procedures and the legal expenses. Furthermore they would need to compensate the surrogate mother for any lost income and cover the expenses of her daily personal needs during pregnancy.
The process is allowed in Greece only following an application to the courts. If specific requirements are met, then a permission to proceed with the treatment is almost always granted. Therefore all patients considering surrogacy are strongly advised to seek legal advice.
Who can be offered Surrogacy treatment?
According to the Greek law, surrogacy is only permitted to women who cannot carry a pregnancy due to medical reasons, such as:
- Congenital absence of the uterus (Rokitansky syndrome).
- Women who had their uterus surgically removed (hysterectomy).
- Multiple intra-uterine adhesions (Asherman’s syndrome)
- Medical conditions that make pregnancy dangerous for a woman’s life, such as congenital heart disease or chronic renal failure
- Selected cases of previous multiple IVF failures or multiple miscarriages
The process is allowed in Greece provided that the intended mother is not over 50 years old.
Who can become a Surrogate?
The surrogate can be someone you know, either a close friend or a relative, unlike egg or sperm donors who are anonymous.
The surrogate mother cannot be genetically linked to the baby and the eggs used must not belong to her.
By law, the woman offering to carry the baby (surrogate mother) should already be the mother of at least one child and should not have had more than two caesarean sections.
She needs to be young (age between 25 to 45), physically and emotionally healthy. An extensive counselling and a thorough psychiatric evaluation are both mandatory.
She should never been convicted of a crime and should have a permanent address in Greece.
If the prospective surrogate mother is married, then consent of her husband is also required.