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19/06/2013

Surrogate-Born Children 'More Likely To Be Depressed'

Children born to a surrogate mother are more likely to suffer from depression than those carried by their biological mother, according to a report by Today.

The new research, which was carried out by the Centre for Family Research at the UK's University of Cambridge, also suggested that it is more difficult for children to deal with the idea that they grew in an unrelated woman's womb, than with the concept that they are not biologically related to one or both parents.

Researchers followed 30 families who had used a surrogate, 31 that had used egg donation, 35 that had used donor sperm and a further 53 that had conceived naturally.

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They then surveyed the mothers when their children reached the ages of three, seven and 10 in an attempt to see how well adjusted the children were.

The results, published in the June issue of the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, found that the children conceived using donor eggs and sperm were as well adjusted as those conceived naturally, but that children carried by a woman other than their mother struggled more.

Professor Susan Golombok, who led the research, explained to Today that "signs of adjustment problems could be behaviour problems, such as aggressive or antisocial behaviour, or emotional problems, such as anxiety or depression".

She added: "Adolescence is a potentially difficult for those born through egg or sperm donation or surrogacy.

"We hope to revisit the children next year when they are 14 years-old, as issues to do with identity become important in adolescence. This is also a time when relationships with parents can become more difficult."

The findings come a time when surrogacy is increasing rapidly. In the US alone, it is thought the number of births involving a surrogate increased by 200% from 530 to 1,179 between 2004 and 2011.

(JP/CD)

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"Children born to a surrogate mother are more likely to suffer from depression than those carried by their biological mother, according to a report by Today."