title: Surrogacy: The experience of Greek commissioning women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Available studies on surrogacy are extremely limited. Findings suggest that surrogacy is experienced as problem free, with a significant number of commissioning mothers maintaining contact with the surrogates over time.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore the experiences of Greek commissioning women regarding the surrogacy arrangement and birth of a child through surrogacy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The data of this study were collected from 7 intended mothers who had either a long history of infertility or serious health problems. Interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed and analysed employing content analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analysis of the women's accounts revealed three themes: (a) a shared journey, (b) the birth of a long-awaited child, and (c) the surrogacy disclosure. The surrogacy process became the women's affairs, with their partners offering backstage support. A very close bond was developed with the surrogates, characterised by daily contacts and care-giving behaviours. While this bond was abruptly discontinued after the child's birth, it was interiorised with all participants being grateful to their surrogate. The timing and content of the surrogacy disclosure to family and child(ren) were carefully chosen by participants, who avoided providing information when egg donation was involved.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings are reassuring for women who want to parent a child through a surrogate arrangement, and suggest that the availability of counselling services may help intended mothers to cope with disclosure issues.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. Electronic address: zapa@psy.auth.gr.
authors.forename: Zaira
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Papaligoura
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, University of Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Danai
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Papadatou
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Alexandreio Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Thalia
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bellali
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D007316:Insemination, Artificial, Heterologous; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents; D036801:Parturition; D011247:Pregnancy; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013533:Gestational Carriers / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Decision-making; Disclosure; Egg donation; Gestational surrogacy; Qualitative content analysis