Sometimes a woman’s uterus may, for many reasons, not be adequate for her to carry and deliver a child. Uterine damage can be caused by several conditions including: congenital defects, endometriosis, fibroids and polyps, scarring from previous surgery(s), cancer, and other causes.

A surrogate is a woman who carries an infertile couple’s child to term and delivery. There are two types of surrogates, or “third party gestationals”.

Gestational Surrogacy- The surrogate carries the infertile couple’s child that was created from an IVF cycle using the eggs and sperm of the infertile couple -- thus the child has the genetic makeup of the couple. The mother undergoes ovulation induction with FSH to cause the development of numerous follicles which will be used in an IVF cycle.  While the egg provider undergoes ovulation induction, the surrogate receives hormones, such as progesterone, to prepare her endometrium to accept and support a developing embryo.  Embryos are developed as in standard IVF, and when mature, they are transferred to the surrogate.

Traditional Surrogacy- Sperm are collected from the father and used in an intrauterine insemination cycle (IUI) with the surrogate. Thus, the baby will have the genetic makeup of the father and the surrogate.

Sometimes a relative or friend will serve as the third party gestational.  There are also surrogate referral services (Alternative Conceptions) that help patients find appropriate third party gestationals. Obviously, there are complicated legal matters that are addressed in the surrogacy agreements.