Grandmother becomes surrogate in Heraklion: “I waited 30 years and was afraid of this moment”

Emotional moments unfolded for a family in Heraklion, Crete, where a 55-year-old grandmother became a surrogate mother for her daughter, bringing a healthy baby boy into the world. This case is one of the rare occurrences in both Greece and worldwide.

The incident was announced by the gynecologist-obstetrician of the “surrogate grandmother,” Alexandros Zervakis, via a social media post.

According to Dr. Zervakis, “The grandmother was determined, with a life goal to help her daughter who was born with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome type 1, a condition characterized by congenital absence of the uterus while the ovaries are present for egg production.”

The grandmother lives in Crete, while her daughter resides in Athens. Both had visited several doctors and faced multiple unsuccessful attempts in the past.

“They approached me feeling discouraged and hesitant. We devised a plan, as the surrogate grandmother required several corrective interventions to be able to carry a pregnancy. We faced numerous challenges, such as pre-existing hypertension, age, and strict legal frameworks. The preparation took two years, involving surgeries, tests, and committees for approvals from the National Authority for Infertility,” described Alexandros Zervakis.

The Joyous Event

The first attempt for embryo transfer, as the well-known obstetrician noted, was unsuccessful. “It was very difficult, but in the end, we managed to rise,” explains Dr. Zervakis, adding, “The second embryo transfer was successful. The pregnancy was high-risk, but the determination was even higher, and the patience was remarkable. The surrogate grandmother was a female soldier. She followed everything we said to the letter, and eventually, we went to deliver. A chubby baby boy weighing 3,500 grams was born.”

“I waited 30 years and was afraid of this moment,” the grandmother told the doctor after delivering her daughter’s child.

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