Worrying about all the news on the new coronavirus and the illness it causes? Well, that makes good sense. If you’re wondering how to cope with anxious feelings that are surfacing, this blog post can guide you through steps that may be helpful to many people.

If you often struggle with anxiety, worries about your health, or obsessive thoughts and actions, you might need additional assistance, as I’ll explain in a later post.

Steady yourself around worries about the new coronavirus

Knowing how to manage your own anxiety always takes a little thought. Ask and answer these questions:

• What typically happens to your body when worries mount?
• How worried are you?
• What do you fear the most?
• What usually helps you handle worries?

When anxiety rises because we’re facing a distressing threat like the new coronavirus, we need to focus on what tends to work for us to ease anxiety — that, plus doing a little bit more of some actions and a little bit less of others.

Keep these thoughts in mind. You’re fully prepared to help yourself. You can take steps to calm and steady yourself. Remember what works for you — because as fellow humans we’re not so dissimilar, but we do tend to have our own preferences and best practices.

Try doing these things more

• Connect with friends and loved ones through video chats, phone calls, texting, and email. It really helps to feel the strength of your connections to your friends and loved ones, even though you may not be with them in person.
• Stick with sources of credible medical information, so you can avoid misinformation about the virus and the illness it causes.

Try doing these things less

Please don’t overdose on hype or worry or misinformation. I get some regular updates from credible sources in the morning and check again briefly toward the end of the day. There’s no need to stay tuned in 24/7 — it can actually make your anxiety much, much worse.

Take practical steps to lessen risk of catching the new coronavirus

Three healthy, sensible steps we can all take:

• Avoid unnecessary travel and crowds.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water (or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer) for 20 seconds (see video).
• Keep your hands away from your face, especially your eyes, mouth, and nose.

Many people infected by the coronavirus develop symptoms like a fever and dry cough during the incubation period. However, some people may not seem symptomatic. The virus can spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Viral droplets that travel several feet through the air may be breathed in or — much more likely — may land on surfaces that other people touch, such as a door handle or elevator button.

We do have to be careful and cautious. But once we adopt key precautionary measures, we can take a deep breath and do our best to calm ourselves. It’s not necessary or helpful to be on high alert all the time. This will wear you down emotionally and physically. So try to adjust your level of alertness to your immediate surroundings. Then once you come home, wash your hands really well and find ways to relax and feel safe. Safety is a basic need for all of us.

How can you relax despite coronavirus worries?

Here are some tried and true ways to relax:

• Yoga. Not a yoga person? No need to start now unless you’d like to try it. Sometimes trying new things and discovering new activities you can benefit from and enjoy can be a welcome, healthy distraction. Yoga Studio and Pocket Yoga are good apps to consider.
• Meditation. Regular meditation is very calming. Many apps teach simple forms of meditation, such as Headspace or Calm.
• Controlled breathing. One simple technique is called square breathing. Visualize your breath traveling along a square. As you follow the instructions to inhale, hold your breath, or exhale, count slowly to three on each side. Try it now. Inhale up the first side of the square. Slowly count one, two, three. Hold your breath across the top. One, two, three. Exhale down the other side of the square. One, two, three. Then hold your breath across the bottom. One, two, three. After a few minutes of this you should be feeling calmer and more centered.

Tap into other ways you like to relax, too. Maybe you like reading a good book or watching a good comedy. Eat the familiar foods that you always enjoy. Stay in contact with your friends and loved ones. Reaching out can help you and help them.

We’re all on this journey together. News about the virus will likely grow worse, then grow better. Listen to public health experts who can help us navigate the path ahead. Take sensible steps that can help us all: get your bearings, practice good hygiene, use calming strategies that work for you — and maybe try something new. Making healthy, reasonable choices about what to do and what not to do will make a big difference in being able to stay as safe and as well as possible.

For more information about the new coronavirus, please see Harvard Health Publishing’s Coronavirus Resource Center.

Follow me on Twitter @JohnSharpMD.

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Of all food allergies, which affect between 5% and 8% of US children, peanut allergy is the one most likely to cause anaphylaxis, a serious type of allergic reaction. For a child with a peanut allergy, eating one peanut can literally be fatal.

“When you have an allergy,” says Andrew MacGinnitie, MD, PhD, clinical director of the division of immunology at Boston Children’s Hospital, “your body sees the thing you are allergic to as dangerous. So your immune system tries to protect you by causing hives, vomiting, and other symptoms.”

The body does this by releasing histamine and other chemicals that are designed to help your body get rid of whatever is causing the allergic reaction. Hives increase blood flow to an area so that your immune system can get to work. Sneezing helps you get rid of pollen or cat hair in your nose. And vomiting helps get rid of whatever is in your stomach. The problem is that when the reaction is severe, with an outpouring of more of these chemicals than is needed, it can lead to trouble breathing and a dangerous drop in blood pressure. If untreated, this can lead to death.

Re-educating the immune system to lessen the danger

“What we’d like to do,” says MacGinnitie, “is re-educate your immune system so that it doesn’t see peanuts as dangerous. For patients with severe environmental allergies, or severe allergies to insect stings, we can give a series of shots that decrease the symptoms. However, when this was tried to treat peanut allergies, it was too dangerous.”

Instead, a different approach — feeding children who have peanut allergies small amounts of peanut to build tolerance — shows promise. In a series of studies, including one published in The Lancet in September 2019, researchers found that when they gave people with peanut allergies small yet gradually increasing amounts of peanut flour every day, 85% of them were ultimately able to eat 300 mg of peanut protein. That’s about the equivalent of one peanut.

That may not seem like much, but it’s a big deal, says MacGinnitie. “Kids with peanut allergy typically don’t want to eat lots of peanut. They just want to be protected so that accidental small exposures — like eating a donut from Dunkin’ that was next to one with peanuts — won’t trigger severe reactions.”

New medicine for peanut allergy approved

This research led to FDA approval of a new medication to treat peanut allergy. It is called Palforzia, and is made from peanut flour. It is approved for children ages 4 to 17. After an initial dose, 11 increasing doses are given over several months. The first time a higher dose is given it’s done in a healthcare setting, but the other doses at that level are given at home, one dose daily. When a patient can tolerate all the dosage levels, they take a dose of 300 mg peanut protein every day at home as a maintenance treatment.

That’s one of the downsides: this treatment is not a cure. When people stop taking the peanut flour, the vast majority of them lose protection.

There are other downsides too, says MacGinnitie. “About 20% to 25% of kids have anaphylaxis during the protocol. That’s about three times more than would have it if they just stayed away from peanuts.” This alone may keep many families away. He also points out that about 10% drop out because of chronic gastrointestinal complaints during treatment, such as stomachaches, vomiting, or diarrhea.

There are other treatments on the way, such as a patch with peanut protein that has fewer side effects, although it may not work as well as oral treatment.

If your child has a peanut allergy, talk with your doctor. Definitely don’t try eating peanut flour without talking to your doctor! Every patient and every situation is different. Working with your doctor, you can figure what’s best for your child and your family.

Follow me on Twitter @drClaire

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Balance is a skill you don’t think about until you really need it — like when you lose your footing and have to perform an exotic improv dance to keep from hitting the ground. But don’t wait until your sense of balance fails before you give it proper attention. As we age, balance can sharply decline, often with little warning. An exercise program called BEEP can help.

How you keep your balance

While keeping proper balance may seem simple, it involves a complex system with many moveable parts. Whenever you move, your eyes and brain process information about your surroundings. Your feet detect changes in the terrain. Your arms swing to keep you stable, and your lower-body muscles and joints generate rapid power so you can move forward, stop, and change directions.

Unfortunately, this system works less effectively over time. The sensation of our bodies moving through space is not as crisp, and information travels more slowly between the body and brain. Muscles become weaker, and joints lose flexibility.

Any breakdown in your balance system increases your risk of falls, which can cause hip fractures, broken bones, and head injuries.

“Doing more balance exercises and activities can keep your sense of balance in good shape, but you also want to focus on multifaceted movements that work on all the elements of your balance system,” says Dr. Brad Manor, associate director of the Mobility and Falls Translational Research Center with Harvard-affiliated Hebrew SeniorLife.

There are many kinds of balance exercises. Science has not tapped any specific ones as the best; however, some have stood out in many balance-related studies.

For instance, a 2016 study in the journal Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine found that a specific Balance-Enhancing Exercise Program (called BEEP for short) improved balance skills among adults ages 60 to 80. Study participants did better on both solid and uneven surfaces, and increased their walking speed and overall confidence.

Focus on three exercises to improve balance

The BEEP program focused on three exercises: squats, heel and calf raises, and one-legged standing. “These types of exercises increase both the physical and cognition skills needed for better balance,” says Dr. Manor. “Plus, they mimic movements of everyday life.”

He recommends adding these to your regular workouts or doing them daily on their own.

Squats. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees and imagine you are sitting down on a stool. Lower down until your thighs are parallel to the ground, or as far as is comfortable. Keep your weight on your heels. Extend your arms forward or place your hands on a chair, counter, or table for stability. Pause for a second or two, then rise back to the starting position. Do this up to 10 times.

Heel and calf raises. Stand with your arms crossed over your chest and lift your heels, so you rise up on your toes. Hold this position for up to 10 seconds, or as long as possible, and then lower your heels. Do this five to 10 times. If you need support, hold on to a door frame, a table, or another sturdy object. You also can place your hands flat on a wall.

One-legged standing. Stand tall and place your hands on your hips or hold on to a table or chair for stability. Then raise one leg, so your foot is about six to 12 inches above the floor. Keep your gaze straight ahead. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds. Repeat on the other leg. Go back and forth three to five times.

You also can perform these exercises with your eyes closed to work on coordination and concentration. Another option is to “distract” yourself by doing unrelated cognitive tasks — count backward, name words that begin with the same letter, or make a mental supermarket list.

“Balance is definitely a use-it-or-lose-it skill,” says Dr. Manor. “But if you work on your balance continuously, you are almost guaranteed to see improvements.”

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Eating enough protein is not just for athletes or would-be Schwarzenegger types. It is necessary for a healthy immune system and required for organs like your heart, brain, and skin to function properly. The nutrient is also touted for its ability to help control appetite and enhance muscle growth.

How much protein you need typically depends on your exercise routine, age, and health. And whether to supplement protein intake with a protein powder has become a common query.

A closer look at protein powder

To make such supplements, protein is extracted from animal or plant-based sources, which range from cow’s milk and eggs to peas, rice, and soy. During processing, naturally occurring carbohydrates, fats, minerals, and fiber are often removed, while supplementary nutrients, herbs, and even sweeteners may be added.

Anyone considering protein powder should understand that it is classified as a dietary supplement, which means it is not regulated in the same way as food or medicine. Responsibility falls on manufacturers to ensure that their products are not hazardous, though many companies do not test for safety or efficacy before their offerings hit shelves. Though the FDA created Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) to help minimize adverse issues, compliance with these procedures remains a concern. In 2017, roughly a quarter of supplement-manufacturing companies whose products were tested received citations related to purity, strength, and ingredient content.

That said, there are accredited organizations, like NSF International, that independently test supplements, including protein powders. NSF’s “Certified for Sport” designation ensures that contents match what is on the label, and that the product is GMP-registered and does not contain unsafe levels of toxic metals like arsenic and mercury.

How much protein do you need?

How much protein you need is another crucial consideration when deciding whether you might benefit from supplementing your diet. The amount thought to be adequate for most healthy people, called the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), is set at 0.8 grams per kilogram. For someone who weighs 150 pounds, this translates to roughly 55 grams of protein; a 200-pound person requires about 70 grams of protein. Certain athletes undergoing intense training may enhance their progress by consuming more than double the RDA, but this doesn’t apply to most of us.

Most people can get enough protein from their diet

One egg, one half-cup of chickpeas, or a small handful of nuts all provide roughly 6 grams of protein. A piece of chicken or fish the size of a deck of cards offers about 30 grams.

For many people, it is relatively easy to reach recommended amounts through their usual diet. On average, Americans consume 65 to 90 grams of protein each day. (Young women under the age of 19 and seniors older than 70 are more likely to be at risk for low protein intake.)

Research suggests older adults and exercisers looking to support muscle growth may benefit from eating one-and-a-half to two times as much protein as the RDA. As we age we lose muscle, and research shows boosting protein may help increase strength and lean body mass. But unless you have a restricted diet, such as a strict plant-based or vegan regimen, this increase is often still achievable through food.

Though pregnant women have slightly elevated protein needs, they should consult an obstetrician or dietitian if considering protein supplements, as companies sometimes add potentially unsafe ingredients like ginkgo or papain to protein powders. Also, individuals with kidney disease often benefit from consuming marginally less protein than the RDA, and should talk to a healthcare provider before supplementing with protein.

Protein powders are convenient, but unnecessary for most

If you are a healthy adult considering supplementation, you should determine whether your goal is to improve muscle mass, as most research is centered on enhancing muscle growth and strength. Older adults may benefit from increasing protein slightly, regardless of their exercise routine; however, for most of us, resistance training is more effective than simply supplementing with protein.

For those looking to enhance the muscle growth that typically occurs with exercise, evidence supports consuming 20 to 40 grams of protein at a time (roughly the amount found in a can of tuna). Larger quantities simply contribute calories and can actually reduce muscle-building potential. So, having several scoops of protein powder at once is unlikely to be helpful. Plant-based powders often have less protein, but shouldn’t be discarded as an option. Rice and pea protein, for example, have been shown to stimulate muscle growth similar to whey, a milk-based protein touted for its high quality and quick absorption.

Unless you are an older adult with a limited appetite, have a restricted diet, or are a trained professional athlete, chances are you can adjust your food intake to get what you need. Protein from food is often cheaper, less risky, and naturally includes beneficial nutrients.

If increasing protein the old-fashioned way is not an option, taking a supplement can be both effective and convenient. But most of us don’t need to channel our inner Mr. Olympia by using a protein powder.

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Every news outlet seems to be talking nonstop about the new coronavirus, which is causing an illness called COVID-19. Many parents understandably are sharing concerns, too — at least among friends and families. Even at school, children are hearing about this new virus and registering that some adults seem worried.

Given all the discussion about coronavirus, your children might have heard about it and have questions for you. Below are some tips on how to respond to their questions. A separate post will address tips for talking with teens about the questions they might have.

Provide just enough information about the coronavirus

Try to strike a balance between answering questions well enough without fueling the flame of anxiety. Children have elaborate imaginations that may lead them to create unnecessarily catastrophic stories in their minds if parents do not talk at all, or enough, about a topic like this. At the other end of the spectrum, providing too much information may create extra alarm.

So what can you do? Think about what your child absolutely needs to know to understand what the virus is and what to do about it. If you have your own questions about the coronavirus, check reliable sources, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which offers a range of information about the virus. The World Health Organization’s myth busters page can help you give correct answers to some surprising questions and misinformation that is spreading.

Four questions children may have about the coronavirus

Before you start, ask what your child knows so far in case you need to clarify anything, and find out what questions your child has. Below are four common questions your child might ask and suggested responses.

What is the coronavirus? The coronavirus is a kind of germ that can make people feel sick. Remember how the flu made (you/your classmate/anyone your child knows) feel? It can be a lot like getting the flu. Some people feel just a little bit sick. Some people get a fever and a cough. Sometimes, the cough can make it hard to breathe easily.

How do you catch the coronavirus? The virus spreads like the flu, or a cold or cough. If a person who has the coronavirus sneezes or coughs, germs that are inside the body come outside of the body. That’s because sneezes and coughs can send tiny drops carrying germs into the air.

There is a lot of traveling those germs would have to do to get inside another body, though, and make someone else sick. A healthy person would need to touch those germs that came out of the sneezes and coughs, and then touch their mouth, eyes, or inside their nose. Those are places where the germs can get inside the body.

Kids and grownups can try their best to stay healthy by continuing their usual activities and practicing these healthy behaviors:

• Sneeze or cough into tissues (and throw them away) or sneeze or cough into your elbow. This helps keep germs from traveling and making other people sick.
• Wash your hands with soap and water at the same times you usually do, like after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose. When you wash your hands, remember to count slowly to 20. (Parents can help by singing the ABCs or “Happy Birthday” with their children the number of times it takes for 20 seconds to pass. This helps children remember to wash for a sufficient amount of time.)
• Try to keep your hands out of your mouth, eyes, and nose.

Why are some people wearing masks? Should I wear a mask? Masks are for people who are sick to wear so that they don’t share germs. The masks also are for medical staff, like doctors and nurses, to wear so they can help people who have the virus. You do not need to wear a mask.

Can you die from the coronavirus? Most people who have caught the virus have not died, just like with the flu. Doctors are working really hard to keep an eye on anyone who is feeling sick. They want to make sure everyone gets the help they need and to keep the virus from spreading.

What is important is that you keep doing what you love to do and not let worries about the virus boss you around. If you’re doing what you love while practicing healthy behaviors like sneezing into your elbow and washing your hands after you go to the bathroom, then you’re showing the virus and the worries who is boss instead!

Model calmness about the coronavirus

Even though you may be concerned yourself, it is important to model calmness when talking about the virus. Children will look to you to see how afraid they should be. Think about flying on an airplane when there is turbulence. A flight attendant that appears terrified may make you think there is something really wrong and you should worry. If a flight attendant calmly offers you a beverage with a smile, you might think there’s just some windy weather that will pass soon.

Limit news exposure on the coronavirus

Although the news can be helpful by keeping everyone informed, sometimes news stories can use wording that is strong and scary for children. Try to limit news-viewing to the hours after children go to sleep, or read the news independently so that children do not hear the stories.

Keep an eye out for reassurance seeking

It’s natural for children to ask questions, particularly about something that is new to them. Sometimes, though, a child’s anxiety seems to be asking the questions, prompting a behavior called reassurance seeking. It may look like a child repeatedly asking the same or similar questions, yet the child’s distress increases no matter how many times you answer the questions. If you notice repeated reassurance seeking (repeated asking of the questions above, for example), then it might be helpful to seek support to help your children manage anxiety. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can offer your family strategies for handling and easing reassurance-seeking behaviors. Ask your doctor to recommend mental health professionals who practice CBT and have experience working with children struggling with anxiety.

Remember, everyone is working hard to manage the virus. You can show your children that you, too, can continue to do what is important to you while practicing healthy behaviors.

For additional information, see our blog post on what parents should know and do about the coronavirus and our Coronavirus Resource Center.

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It seems like common knowledge or conventional wisdom: stress can turn your hair gray.

Whether it’s the kids, your spouse, your job, or something else, people with gray hair have been blaming stress for centuries.

The example of Barack Obama is often cited: his hair was quite dark when first elected president, but by the time he’d completed his second term, it was much grayer. Clearly it was the stress of his job, right?

Not so fast! As I wrote in a previous post, the notion that stress makes you gray may be largely myth. Certainly, there are factors other than stress that lead to graying, not the least of which are genetics and age. And plenty of people under significant stress never go gray.

Keep in mind that an individual strand of hair does not change color (unless it’s dyed). When we see someone going gray, it’s usually because strands of hair with color (pigment) have fallen out and hairs without pigment have grown in their place. When a large enough number of unpigmented hairs grow in, the change is noticeable, and a head of hair appears to turn gray. Typically, this happens because pigment-producing cells within hair follicles produce less color over time. While graying commonly starts during middle age, genetics plays a role in when it begins.

What is stress anyway?

While it’s a popular and well-accepted notion that stress is bad for your health, if you’re facing a charging tiger, the body’s response to this sudden (acute) stress can be lifesaving. Your heart races, blood pressure and blood sugar rise, blood vessels in your muscles dilate, along with other physiologic reactions that prepare you to fight or flee (and in this case, I’d recommend the latter).

And while chronic stress may have negative health consequences, different people respond to the same stressors differently. In fact, it can be hard to define stress: what one person finds terrifying and unpleasant (for example, public speaking) another person may find exciting and energizing.

Maybe it’s true after all: A new study finds stress can turn hair gray

You may have seen news reports about a new study suggesting that stress can turn hair gray and sorts out how it happens. But there’s one important caveat: the study was performed in mice whose fur turned gray within a few days of their being injected with resiniferatoxin (a substance similar to the active, irritating ingredient in chili peppers). Whether the findings apply to humans is not yet known, but this research does provide a scientifically plausible explanation of how it might happen.

In the January 22, 2020, edition of Nature, researchers describe a series of experiments suggesting that in mice, sudden stress leads to the following sequence of events:

• Stimulation of nerves causes the adrenal gland to increase production and release of norepinephrine, a close cousin of epinephrine (also called adrenaline).
• Norepinephrine causes certain cells in the skin’s hair follicles (called melanocyte stem cells) to rapidly divide and turn into pigment-producing cells.
• This depletes the melanocyte stem cells in the hair follicles, leading to loss of pigment in the hair shafts; when a large number of individual hair shafts lack pigment, the fur appears gray.

If these events also occur in humans, these findings could lead to treatments that prevent graying. Indeed, when researchers prevented melanocyte stem cells from dividing rapidly in the mice, their fur did not turn gray.

So what?

Media reports regarding this study suggest it cracks the code on the connection between stress and graying hair, and affirms that notion that work or family stress is turning you gray.

But, that’s not what this research showed! In fact, there are a number of reasons to be skeptical about how important these results are:

• Mice and humans are different. Often medical studies in animals turn out to be impossible to replicate in people.
• There’s a big difference between acute and long-term (chronic) stress. The acute stress experienced by the mice in this study is not the type of chronic stress most people think of when explaining gray hair. Of course, it’s not easy to design a mouse study that simulates chronic human stress such as daily traffic jams, a challenging job, or relationship trouble.
• Not all acute stress is the same. It’s not at all clear that the acute stress mice experienced after being injected with resiniferatoxin and their fur graying within a few days is applicable to the way humans experience stress or go gray.

The bottom line

The findings of this study are intriguing and potentially important, to explain changes in hair color and advance our understanding of how stress affects other parts of the body.

These findings have made me rethink the idea that stress-induced gray hair is a myth. Maybe it can happen, but only rarely. Or, perhaps stress is responsible for most or all of the gray hair in the world. One thing’s for sure: we’ll need a lot more research to know which of these is true.

If your hair is turning gray, you can blame your kids, your boss, or other sources of stress in your life. And you can point to this new study to support your perspective. But, until there is evidence that the findings of this study apply to people, I think it’s still more appropriate to blame your parents — and Father Time.

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Why would a woman decide to carry another woman’s baby? One answer is that there are times in life when a loved one is in need of help. This happens when a sister or a cousin or a close friend has suffered repeated miscarriages, or had an illness or surgery that made pregnancy unlikely. In these instances, it is not unusual for a family member or friend to step forward, saying, “I’ll carry your baby.” But what of the woman who decides that she wants to carry for strangers? What prompts her to seek, usually through an agency, an individual or couple in need of a gestational carrier?

Surrogate or gestational carrier?

First, some definitions. The words surrogate and gestational carrier are often used interchangeably. One needs to know a bit of the history of reproductive medicine in order to understand why. Prior to the arrival of IVF in 1978, it was impossible for a woman to give birth to a baby that was not her genetic offspring. Women choosing surrogacy at that time were agreeing to conceive a child with their own eggs and the sperm of the intended father. This was the kind of surrogacy that blew up and made national headlines in what became known as the Baby M case. (Short summary of a very painful story: the surrogate changed her mind, sought to parent the baby that was her genetic child, and ended up in a prolonged legal battle with the biological father and his wife.)

IVF ushered in a new form of surrogacy, one in which a woman could carry and deliver a baby with whom she had no genetic connection. Gestational surrogacy offered new hope for women born without a uterus, women with medical conditions that advised against pregnancy, and gay men. Within a short time, it all but replaced the earlier form of surrogacy. Many people viewed it as more ethical and emotionally safe than the traditional surrogacy that wrenched hearts in the Baby M case.

Who becomes a gestational carrier?

So back to my earlier question: who chooses to become a gestational carrier, or GC? And why does she make this choice?

In My American Surrogate, a New York Times Op-Doc, we learn about Chinese couples coming to the US for surrogacy. Some come because of medical need, but others seek babies with US citizenship or like the idea of someone else being pregnant for them, or both. Reading the article or watching the accompanying video, it is easy to conclude that it is financial reward that convinces women to become gestational carriers. Although ads offering upwards of $50,000 entice some women, payment is not the primary motivation for the women I have interviewed. For one thing, financial need generally disqualifies a woman from gestational surrogacy. For another, a woman has to go through quite a lot before receiving payment. The fee, I have found, is for most a very nice bonus but not what draws many to what they call “my surrogacy journey.”

Over the years, I have been struck by how similar GCs are to each other. I’ve observed them to be women who love being mothers and who see family as their greatest blessing. Most also enjoy being pregnant, although this is not always the case. Whether they like being pregnant or not, they feel confident in their ability to “do pregnancy well.” In sad contrast to many of their intended parents, they feel that their bodies were made to be pregnant. And they add that they know their limits as parents: most feel equipped to parent two, perhaps three, children.

A different perspective on gestational surrogacy

Although more widely accepted and understood in recent years, gestational surrogacy continues to be subject to some criticism. In addition to concerns about payments, critics point to the unregulated nature of surrogacy, noting that it leaves women open for exploitation. Surely it would be naïve to deny that this is sometimes the case. Two documentaries available online, Made in Boise and Breeders: A Subclass of Women?, speak to many challenging and heartfelt issues around gestational surrogacy.

However, my experiences with gestational carriers have expanded my understanding and appreciation of GCs. The women I’ve met chose to carry a baby for others because they perceived a unique opportunity to do something significant in the world. They see surrogacy as an opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of another family. Many are inspired by the fact that the child they carry will not only be a much-wanted son or daughter, but also a sibling, a cousin, a niece or nephew or longed-for grandchild. It’s this ripple effect — and the knowledge that their acts can change a family’s life for generation — that prompts many to set out on what others might see as an odd and inexplicable journey.

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