In the latest episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kim Kardashian expressed her desire to grow her family. “I’d just love nothing more than to expand my family and just know that I have this world at home that’s safe,” she said.
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During the same episode, Kardashian received a procedure that would hopefully try and help her carry another child if she decided to do so. But the procedure failed.
“I’ve gone through so much with really bad deliveries that the doctors don’t feel like it’s safe for me to conceive again myself,” Kardashian revealed, adding, “I can’t carry any more kids… it’s the worst.”
After the infamous Paris robbery, Kardashian’s desire to expand her family with husband Kanye West became even more fervent. But now that the opportunity to have biological children is no longer possible, the two have begun looking at other options, with Kardashian leaning toward possibly giving surrogacy a try.
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Gestational surrogacy costs could begin at around $40,000 and go as high as $150,000 depending on where you go or what type of program you choose. (Not that cost is an issue for the Kardashians.)
In 2011, there were 35,000 surrogacy cases in the U.S., and the percentage of gestational surrogacy increased by 89 percent in 2014. In the United States, the success rates for a surrogate mother younger than 35 can be as high as 60 percent; as in all pregnancies, the numbers dip when the mom is older.
Surrogacy is not legal in all areas. Countries like France, Germany, Italy and Spain completely prohibit any and all forms of surrogacy, while countries like the U.K., Ireland and Denmark allow the procedure as long as the surrogate mother is unpaid or only compensated for certain expenses.
In the United States, commercial surrogacy — that’s when the surrogate mother is paid a fee — is legal on a state-by-state basis. The varying laws make it very important for people to do as much research as possible before even considering surrogacy as a viable option for childbirth. But even if the Kardashian-West family decided to go down that route, they wouldn’t be alone. Other famous faces that have used surrogacy or a gestational carrier include Robert De Niro, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban and Jimmy Fallon.
“I feel like surrogacy is the only option for me,” Kardashian says, after explaining that she and Kanye West both felt adamant about having more children and also nervous about her procedure and the uncertainty around her success rates. While Kardashian may be disappointed, she remains realistic, keeping her options open and the possibilities as broad as possible. “Whatever is meant to be will be.”
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