Who Benefits For Gestational Surrogacy

• Absent uterus (congenital absence or prior hysterectomy)

• Severe uterine factor infertility (fibroids, adenomyosis, intrauterine adhesions, persistent thin lining despite hormonal treatment, pelvic radiation)

• Recurrent pregnancy loss

• Repeated implantation failure

• Medical conditions that preclude safely carrying a pregnancy (cardiac, pulmonary or renal disease)

Surrogacy Overview

Sometimes the challenge in getting pregnant lies not with the egg or sperm but with the uterus. If you have been unable to carry a healthy pregnancy to term, you may want to consider using a gestational surrogate. A surrogate is an arrangement where a woman carries and delivers a child for another couple. This technique requires the use of in vitro fertilization (IVF), since the eggs are retrieved from one woman, injected with sperm from an intended father, and the resultant embryo is implanted into another woman, the surrogate. There are two types of surrogacy:

This much more common route is where the egg from the intended mother or an egg donor is fertilized by sperm from the intended father or donor sperm through In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). The resulting embryo is then transferred to the surrogate, who will not be genetically related to the baby.

It is typically 14 to 18 months from when you start the process to when you hold your new baby in your arms. Before you move forward, it is important to learn all you can about the process. Your doctor will discuss at length what you can expect when working with a surrogate.

IVF Saint Germain Surrogacy Program