Exploring the Lived Experiences of Surrogate Mothers in Ghana
Description
Surrogacy is available in Ghana as one of the infertility treatment options for couples within both the country and those that come from other parts of the world. This study sought to investigate the practice of commercial surrogacy in Ghana, with the central aim of examining the lived experiences of surrogate mothers in Accra. The study specifically sought to explore motivations for surrogacy, processes of recruitment and contract conditionalities, as well as the challenges surrogate mothers face as a result of such practices. The study used a phenomenological research design, and was conducted in three private surrogacy agencies located in different parts of the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The research participants comprised of twenty-one purposively sampled surrogate mothers. Data was collected using an interview-guide, and the data was analyzed using thematic analysis.
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The study reported in this paper is part of a larger study aimed at exploring the lived experiences of surrogate mothers in Ghana. In line with the aim of the research project, the phenomenological qualitative research design was employed (Yilmaz, 2013). it involved 21 participants drawn from three privately owned surrogate agencies within the Greater Accra region of Ghana. These agencies, which recruit surrogates for intended parents were specifically located in Tema, Osu and Labone. The Greater Accra Region was chosen because it is home to 15 of the 19 in-vitro fertilization (IVF) health facilities in Ghana. Sampling The three agencies were selected purposively through the Fertility Society of Ghana. The third author, after submitting the ethical clearance letter of the study and briefing the secretary of the Fertility Society of Ghana was given the contact details of five agencies out of which three agreed to support the study. The three agencies, which for ethical purposes have been named Agency L, Agency O and Agency T offer various services to support the specialist fertility clinics in the management of infertility including gamete donation and surrogacy. Participants for the study were thus surrogate mothers in Accra who were recruited by the three surrogate agencies from any part of Ghana, and who were either currently pregnant as surrogate mothers (gestational age of 16 weeks and above) or have delivered from surrogate motherhood within two years of providing the surrogate services. We were of the view that this category of surrogate mothers would be able to recall their experiences and motivations with ease. More so, surrogates who were less than 16 weeks pregnant were excluded from the study because they do not have enough experiences as far as anti-natal care is concerned. Participants who met the eligibility criteria were contacted through the agencies. The agency heads contacted eligible surrogates and explained the purpose of the study to them and those who agreed to participate, their contacts were shared with the researcher. There are those who agreed to participate but did not want their contact details to be shared with the researcher. Such participants, interviews were done on the phones of the agency heads. All interviews were conducted on phone, either on the participants phone or the agency head’s phone. In all, 21 surrogates were included in the study. The sample size was largely determined by data saturation. Interviews lasted between 40 minutes to an hour. Interviews were conducted in Ga, Twi or English. Seventeen interviews were conducted in Twi, three in English and one in the Ga language due to the researcher’s and participants’ proficiency in these languages. With the permission of participants, all interviews were audio recorded. Ethical Considerations The study was approved by the Ethics Committee for the Humanities, University of Ghana (ECH 039/20-21) for the researcher to conduct the study.