Gestational Carriers, also mistakenly called Surrogates, Carry a baby made from the Egg and Sperm of the Intended Parents
Women who have the ability to produce eggs from
their ovaries but cannot carry a pregnancy because
they were born without a uterus or their uterus has
been removed, they have a congenitally deformed
uterus, or they have a medical condition which
eliminates them from successfully carrying a
pregnancy can consider the use of a gestational
carrier. A gestational carrier is a woman who has
an embryo derived from the sperm and oocyte from
another couple (the intended parents) transferred
into her uterus. Once pregnant, she carries the
fetus throughout the pregnancy and delivers the
child for the intended parents. Despite the fact
that she carries and delivers the baby, a
gestational carrier has no genetic link to the fetus
she is carrying.
The
treatment steps involved in the use of a gestational
carrier are very similar to those of a routine IVF
cycle. The intended mother receives fertility
injections designed to cause her ovaries to produce
several eggs, these eggs are then non-surgically
removed and combined with sperm from the intended
father. Embryos are then produced in the IVF
laboratory; however on the day of the transfer, the
selected embryos are placed into the carrier’s
uterus rather than the uterus of the intended
mother.
Before
this treatment can be initiated, all parties
involved must undergo medical, psychological and
legal counseling as required by the Federal Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) and the Society for
Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART). There is
occasionally confusion surrounding the use of the
terminology involved. Some people tend to confuse
the term “gestational carrier” with the term
“surrogate.” A true surrogate is a woman who not
only carries the pregnancy for a couple but uses her
own egg as the genetic material. In these cases the
fetus is genetically linked to the surrogate. True
surrogacy is not legally protected in the state of
Texas and it is therefore not performed at the Texas
Fertility Center.
