Gestational Carrier
Women who have the ability to produce eggs from their ovaries, but are unable to use their uterus or do not have a uterus, may consider using 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 a fetus throughout a 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. A donated egg and/or sperm may also be used in conjunction with a gestational carrier in the event that the female intended parent cannot produce her own eggs or the male intended parent cannot produce sperm.
As some of these technologies are new, there is occasionally confusion surrounding the use of the terminology involved. Some people tend to confuse the terms “gestational carrier” and “surrogate”. A true surrogate is a woman who not only carries a 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 permitted in the State of Texas.
