Story from Jam Press (Five Time Surrogate)
Pictured: Ariel with Brandon giving birth.
‘I’ve been a surrogate FIVE times – people think I'm being exploited for my womb’
A woman who has been a surrogate five times says people think she is being exploited for her womb.
Ariel Taylor, who has a daughter of her own, embarked on her journey to help other couples almost a decade ago.
The 33-year-old shares her experience of being a surrogate with her 90,000 followers online and says she "cherishes" the opportunity to raise awareness.
But while she recieves a lot of support, she also recieves a lot of negativity.
And some people think she is being exploited.
“People either think surrogates are rich and making millions, or we are poor and being exploited,” Ariel, who is from London, Ontario, in Canada, told What’s The Jam.
“The truth is, we are just regular women who want to help someone else by carrying their baby.
“Intended Parents are just regular couples who have some form of infertility.
“I have been a surrogate five times and have donated eggs six times - experiences that have profoundly shaped my journey and came from my passion to help others."
Ariel said her primary motivation was simple - she wanted to help someone else experience the joy of becoming a parent, just as she had.
She said: “The idea that I could give that gift to someone who needed it was incredibly powerful to me.
“I also really loved pregnancy but knew that I was done having children for myself.”
Ariel gave birth to her now nine-year-old daughter Scarlett in 2015.
Later that year, she started her journey as a surrogate and in January 2016, after matching with a family, she underwent an embryo transfer.
An embryo transfer is a medical procedure that involves placing fertilised eggs, or embryos, into a woman's uterus. It's the final step in the in-vitro fertilization (IVF) process.
Sadly, Ariel miscarried the couple's baby at four months in May.
She gave it