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Gestational surrogacy is the process by which intended parents use either the intended mother’s own eggs or donated eggs to create a child with the intended father’s sperm or donor sperm through in vitro fertilization. The surrogate becomes pregnant by transfer of some of the embryos into her uterus on the third or fifth day after the eggs are harvested and fertilized. The surrogate mother makes no genetic contribution to the creation of the child. Donated eggs are usually from anonymous donors, but some physicians will permit intended parents to accept eggs from the sister or other relative of the intended mother, or another person known to the intended parents. With many infertility physicians, the eggs can be fertilized by injecting a single sperm into each egg if the intended father’s sperm count or quality is poor, and donor sperm may be utilized if necessary. The embryos not used in the first transfer are then frozen for potential later use by the intended parents.
Couples using gestational surrogacy to create their family often do so because the intended mother has good egg quality, but simply cannot carry a child due to uterine problems, such as misshapen uterus, poor lining or uterine cavity quality, endometriosis, placenta accreta or increta from a prior pregnancy, or removal of the uterus. With a gestational surrogacy in that situation, the intended parents will be the genetic mother and father of their child when the intended father’s sperm is used. Additionally, even where the intended mother’s eggs cannot be used in a gestational surrogacy, regardless of whether the intended father’s sperm can be used, some couples are more comfortable with gestational surrogacy through an anonymous egg donation rather than traditional surrogacy where the surrogate would have a genetic link to their child. |