What Is Surrogacy?
A surrogate carries a child for a couple or individual who cannot carry a pregnancy themselves.
There are two different types of surrogates, gestational and traditional. We only work with gestational surrogates because of the unsettled legal issues surrounding traditional surrogacy. While traditional surrogacy involves a surrogate mother who donates the use of her own eggs, gestational surrogates use eggs from the intended mother or a third-party egg donor so she is not genetically related to the baby she carries as a surrogate.
Through the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF), eggs provided by the intended mother or egg donor are fertilized with the sperm of the intended father or a sperm donor. The resulting embryos are then transferred into the gestational surrogate who carries and gives birth to the baby.
According to the CDC, around 2% of babies born using assisted reproductive technology were born via gestational carrier. This data is based on a study that looked at ART cycles from 1999 to 2013, so it's likely that number is much higher.
Giving the gift of surrogacy changes the lives of those in need. And, the joy and enrichment you experience as a surrogate is indescribable and something you can look back on with pride and satisfaction for the rest of your life.
