Britains most prolific surrogate!

This story gives plenty of food for thought ... here is a woman who has given the gift of life, over and over again to so many infertile people. In the press and online, many are questioning that she has done it too many times -- at the risk of her own health and potentially now of any future baby(ies). My greater concern is the fact that she has NEVER had/raised a child of her own -- yet acted as a traditional surrogate all these times prior to this current gestational situation. How did that happen? Another reason why I think the US is a much safer bet for surrogacy... no doctor (and no reputable agency for that matter) would ever work with a woman who does not have at least one child of her own. It freaks me out a bit to think that her first surrogacy was her very first pregnancy - and using her own eggs! I would have been terrified if I were the IM!! ......


Britain’s most prolific surrogate is pregnant again:

Jill Hawkins, from Brighton, has been implanted with two embryos from a professional couple in their early thirties.

Miss Hawkins said she was “absolutely ecstatic” after a home pregnancy test revealed at least one of the embryos has started to grow in her womb. It will be the first time she has carried a child not from her own eggs and she will find out later this month if she is expecting one baby or twins.

“There’s a good chance it could be a multiple pregnancy,” Miss Hawkins told the Daily Mail. “I hope it is. I have never had twins before so I’d love to have that experience.” Miss Hawkins, who has no children of her own, will hand over the baby – or babies – to the couple while still in the maternity ward.

Miss Hawkins, who will be paid around £12,000 in “expenses” for her pregnancy, had spent 18 months trying for an eighth baby, but without success. “My eggs have just packed up which is not unusual for a woman of my age,” she said. “I was worried that because my eggs aren’t as strong as they were that the rest of me might not be up to it either.

“But I’ve had scans and there’s nothing wrong with my womb so being a host should not be a problem. I love being pregnant. It’s a compulsion I suppose and I really miss it when I’m not pregnant.” All Miss Hawkins’ previous children she has given away have been conceived using her own eggs and sperm from the father which was artificially inseminated. Miss Hawkins, a legal secretary, is the most prolific surrogate mother living in Britain. Carole Horlock, from Stevenage in Hertfordshire, who has given birth to 12 surrogate babies, held the title before moving to France four years ago.

What is the process of becoming pregnant via Gestational Surrogacy

The medical procedure for the Embryo Transfer (ET) to the Gestational Surrogate (GS) is similar to having a Pap smear. In most cases it's pain-free. First, your menstrual cycle and the menstrual cycle of the Intended Mother (IM) or Egg Donor (ED) are synchronized using birth control pills and daily injections of Lupron, a drug that suppresses ovulation. If it seems scary, don�t worry! Everyone who has been through the process feels intimidated at first. Often after the first few days they're amazed at how simple and relatively painless it is. The nurse at the reproductive clinic will talk you through the first injections, and we can always help you, too. You will also be taking Estrogen before the transfer, and the Intended Mother or Egg Donor (ED) will be taking daily injections of fertility drugs.

During this time, the development of the Intended Mother or ED's eggs is monitored by periodic blood work and ultrasounds. At the same time, the thickness of the lining of your uterus, which is crucial to the success of the Embryo Transfer, will be evaluated using blood tests and transvaginal ultrasounds. You can expect to visit the Reproductive Endocrinologist a few times before the Embryo Transfer in order to check your uterine lining for its readiness to receive the embryo. That exam is entirely painless. Three to five days after the eggs have been retrieved from the biological Mother (or Egg Donor) and fertilized with the sperm of the biological father (or Sperm Donor), the physician will transfer the embryos to you. As we've noted, that procedure is something like a Pap smear, and it's completed under sterile conditions. Depending on the physician, you may then begin progesterone injections and/or suppositories.

Many clinics require a period of bed rest after the Embryo Transfer. That can range from 12 to 72 hours. The Intended Parents will expect you treat the doctor's instructions seriously. If you need childcare to allow you to stay in bed, that will be provided as specified in your contract. Your contract will cover all such eventualities, so you will never have to worry about money to meet your surrogacy obligations. About 10 to 12 days after the embryo transfer, you'll get a pregnancy test. This will usually be done by drawing blood at the clinic or local lab.