Process of becoming a mother for Iranian surrogacy-commissioning mothers: A grounded theory study

Abstract

Aim: Little knowledge is available about the experiences of the commissioning mothers during the process of surrogacy; thus, the present study was conducted in order to explore and analyze this process. Methods: This study was conducted in a referral institute in Tehran with a qualitative approach and using grounded theory methodology. The data were collected through 39 unstructured, in-depth interviews that were conducted with 15 gestational commissioning mothers, two of their husbands, four surrogates, and five of the personnel at centers for assisted reproduction (some participants were interviewed more than once). Sampling started purposively and then continued theoretically. Results: The analysis revealed the main concern of these mothers to be the feeling of “insecurity about becoming a mother” and their predominant strategy for dealing with it to be “seeking security about becoming a mother,” which emerged as a core concept. The consequences of the mothers' adopted strategies and the effects of the intervening factors included “reaching a state of relative peace,” “a continuing threat to one's identity,” and “mental and physical exhaustion.”. Conclusion: Identifying the demands of this group of mothers can help medical personnel, particularly nurses, adopt better plans for the future and to optimize the care they provide to these patients.