Study Finds Surrogates Face Higher Mental Illness Risk Ontario

A recent investigation in California uncovered a surrogacy agency, Mark Surrogacy Investment LLC, allegedly involved in a scheme where multiple women carried embryos for the same couple simultaneously, leading to the discovery of 21 children in potentially unsafe conditions. The couple behind the agency was arrested on suspicion of felony child endangerment, and the children are now in protective custody. Concurrently, new research from Canada highlights that gestational carriers, who carry embryos created from intended parents or donors, face a significantly higher risk of new-onset mental illness during and after pregnancy compared to women who conceive naturally or via IVF. The large Ontario-based study found that nearly 1 in 5 gestational carriers had a prior mental illness diagnosis and that their rate of new psychiatric diagnoses was higher, especially for severe cases requiring emergency or inpatient care. Researchers emphasize the critical need for adequate mental health screening, counseling, and follow-up care for surrogates given the growing surrogacy market. These findings reveal both ethical concerns in surrogacy practices and the pressing mental health challenges faced by gestational carriers.