My endometriosis led us to have children trough surrogacy

The paths to starting a family look very different. We are guided by what others think, feel and not least our bodies.

At 22, Lisa Fredriksson was diagnosed with endometriosis after an emergency operation. She was told that if she wanted a family she should hurry up. Lisa had a desire to have children and start a family, although the decision was made earlier than she had intended. Surrogacy eventually became the option for Lisa and her husband to grow their family.

Read Lisa’s journey to parenthood through surrogacy.

Why did we choose surrogacy?

In the case of endometriosis, pregnancy and subsequent breastfeeding can alleviate the effects of the disease. For Lisa, pregnancy instead led to serious complications and a hysterectomy—the removal of her uterus. A few years later, Lisa met her current husband. They knew that Lisa would not be able to carry a child. Lisa’s husband was too old for adoption to be an option. A uterus transplant did not feel like the right choice given her medical history. By chance, they found information about surrogacy, and thus the desire to expand their family grew.

Find out more about surrogacy

The Process: From IVF to a Loving Family

It was important for the couple that the gestational carrier and the whole process were safe.

– It was a process full of new experiences. We had several women around us who offered to carry our child. We had to turn down these offers because Swedish law does not protect the parties in a surrogacy arrangement. We therefore chose to carry out the process in a country where there was legal protection, says Lisa.

She was keen to use her own eggs and underwent IVF treatments that were tough on both body and mind. The first attempt resulted in a pregnancy that led to a miscarriage, but on the third attempt, the pregnancy progressed. After a long wait, a healthy baby boy was born and named Liam—much anticipated and loved. The family still has a special bond with the gestational carrier and feels very grateful.

Find out more about IVF

– Surrogacy is an emotional rollercoaster. The process made me relive all that my illness had meant to us, but it is the best decision we have made for our family. Our journey has resulted in me working at Nordic Surrogacy today, helping others become parents. This is something I am very proud of as we help many people who, like me, have a medical condition behind them and even more who are involuntarily childless for other reasons. Whatever the reason, we have a common goal of safe and secure surrogacy, Lisa concludes.