Surrogacy, the practice whereby one woman bears a child for another woman, remains a controversial method of assisted reproduction. In 2003 the PI published findings from a study of surrogate mothers who were interviewed one year following the birth of their surrogacy child. Whilst the study found that surrogacy can result in positive experiences for women, no studies have addressed its longer-term consequences. This study followed up this original sample almost a decade later and examined the relationship between the surrogate and the commissioning parents and surrogate child, the attitudes and feelings of members of the surrogate's family, and the motivations of women who engage in repeated surrogacy arrangements. Surrogates, their partners and their children were interviewed and asked to complete questionnaires examining psychological state and family functioning. Similarities and differences were examined between genetic (where the surrogate is the genetic mother of the child) and gestational (where the commissioning couple are the genetic parents of the child) surrogates and between surrogates who were previously known and unknown to the commissioning couple.

From the original sample of 34 surrogates, 20 surrogates took part in this follow-up, representing a response rate of 59% of the original sample. Of the 14 who did not take part, 12 could not be contacted and 2 declined to participate. The surrogates were interviewed at home using in-depth semi-structured interviews. Surrogates were also asked to complete a booklet of questionnaires which assessed psychological health and marital quality: FAMIIIQ1 – Family Assessment Measure III– brief version General scale; FAMIIIQ2 – Family Assessment Measure III – brief version Self-rating scale FAMIIIQ3P – Family assessment Measure III – brief version Dyadic relationship scale – Partner; FAMIIIQ3C1 – Family assessment Measure III – brief version Dyadic relationship scale – Child 1; FAMIIIQ3C1 – Family assessment Measure III – brief version Dyadic relationship scale – Child 2; FAMIIIQ3C1 – Family assessment Measure III – brief version Dyadic relationship scale – Child 3; GRIMS – Golombok Rust Inventory of Marital State BDI – Beck Depression Inventory SES – Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale. A detailed description of the methodology with links to the scales is presented in the paper listed below.