It is quite a common impulse to want children. To hold a cute baby and watch it grow into an adult you could be proud of can be one of the best feelings in the world. Children can be the reason families come together or bring an already close family even closer.
People fail to realize there are several ways to become a parent. Approximately ten percent of the population cannot reproduce conventionally. This does not necessarily mean that they cannot be parents.
Since IVF involves fusing reproductive cells, the genetics of the biological parents or donors pass onto the child. Several people have argued that propagating our genes is a biological imperative. Perhaps that is why quite a few people opt for IVF: ensuring that their offspring has their genetic make-up. However, there are a few drawbacks to this method of having children. The biggest drawback is the financial cost attached to IVF, and only has a success rate of 40 percent. It can take several IVF attempts until one is successful. Some people also object to the injections and drugs introduced to mother’s/surrogate’s body. This entire process can be quite taxing on the mind and mentally wear out the people involved in the process.
Several people choose to adopt children instead. There are several kinds of adoption: open, closed, or from an orphanage. The cost of adoption can vary greatly, with some being free and others not. People often associate adoption with zero risk, which is not accurate. As they grow up, several children refuse to accept their adoptive parents as their ‘real’ parents, or maybe the biological parents wish to parent them again. While none of these necessarily mean that your child will be taken away from you, it is still difficult to process any of these things happening. In the best cases, the child will accept you as the parents or even have healthy relationships with the birth and adoptive families. However, that is not always the case.
You must understand that there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ choice when it comes to this. It all depends on what method you choose and which you think will be the most beneficial for you and your future family. There will be risks associated with each choice. However, when you go through with it, you will find that the pros can far outweigh those risks. The debate between IVF and adoption only arises when it comes to babies. If you are open to parenting children of a certain age, adoption is the path for you.
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About MindTribe.in.
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About the Author.
Akash Kolte is a psychologist at MindTribe.in. You can learn more about him by clicking here
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of MindTribe.in, the Founders, or management team.
Acknowledgement: All images used are open source and from Unsplash.