In Vitro Fertilization (IVF): Surrogacy
Gestational Carrier Program
What is a gestational carrier?
The gestational carrier (GC) is a woman who volunteers to carry a pregnancy for someone who cannot otherwise do so. The GC is not a traditional “surrogate”, as a surrogate is someone who donates her eggs and then subsequently carries the child.
See the checklist for Patients interested in the Gestational Carrier program.
Who is a good candidate for utilizing a gestational carrier?
The gestational carrier (GC) program at Carolina Conceptions is for women who are unable to carry a pregnancy on their own. For example, this could be someone who has had her uterus surgically removed for cervical or uterine cancer, fibroids, or severe endometriosis. Other conditions include those women with a non-functional uterus, internal scarring of the uterus (Asherman’s syndrome) or recurrent pregnancy losses.
Will the gestational carrier be biologically linked to my child?
In the case of a GC, the woman carrying the pregnancy is in no way biologically or genetically related to the child she is carrying. She is merely providing a uterus in which the child grows, and will later deliver the baby. The eggs and sperm are derived from the “intended parents” (or egg donor, or sperm donor), and through the process of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), the eggs are fertilized in the lab, and then the embryo (or embryos) are placed into the uterus of the gestational carrier. As long as the ovaries from the intended parent are intact and functional, there is a good possibility that eggs may be harvested and fertilized in the lab to create embryos, which would then be placed into the uterus of the GC.
Are there any legal considerations or guidelines?
There are special steps that are required for GC treatment. All GC’s and intended parents must seek legal counsel and draft a contract, even when they are using a family member or friend as the GC. The female serving as the gestational carrier must be free of communicable diseases. Testing is essential so that there will be a minimal chance of transmitting disease to the fetus. Under the guidelines of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine and the FDA, the GC is also screened with a psychological evaluation (including written psychological screening), a physician evaluation, uterine evaluation and she must be in excellent physical health.