Gestational Surrogacy – What is It?

When a woman is unable to carry a baby due to physiological restrictions, she may use a gestational surrogate (GS).

With gestational surrogacy, one or more embryos derived from the patient’s eggs and her partner’s sperm is transferred into the uterus of a surrogate. The surrogate in effect provides a host womb but does not contribute genetically. In spite of original ethical, moral, and medical legal reservations, gestational surrogacy has now gained widespread social acceptance.

Candidates for IVF surrogacy can be divided into two groups:

• Women that do not have a uterus capable of carrying a pregnancy to term
• Women who cannot safely undertake a pregnancy because of medical conditions or illnesses