Using a Gestational Carrier

Gestational carrying or gestational surrogacy is defined as an arrangement where a woman would carry and deliver the baby for another couple. The woman who would carry the baby is known as the gestational surrogate or carrier. The parents who would take the custody of the child are known as the intended parents. The gestational surrogate is not related to the baby. The egg comes either from the intended mother or the egg donor, while the sperm comes from the intended father or sperm donor. The donor embryos might also be used. In vitro fertilization might also be needed because the eggs of one woman are to be implanted in that of another's uterus. ARC is the perfect facility to help you with all these processes when you are in trouble.

When would Gestational Surrogate be Needed by you?

The gestational surrogate would be needed only in the following cases:

The cases when you do not have a uterus due to operation
There might be problems with the uterus
There are chances that you won't be able to carry pregnancy safely
When the other treatments of fertility have not worked

Challenges of Gestational Surrogacy

Gestational surrogacy is a very complex and emotional procedure and a very intense process. There will be a lot of time and money to be involved in the process. Gestational surrogacy contracts have a lot of legal terms involved as the surrogate mother involved has to go through a lot of stress and emotional sacrifice.

What are the Steps Involved in the Process?
The steps that are to be followed include:
Finding the Gestational Surrogate
- You would need to decide if you could ask a friend to be the gestational surrogate or hire an agency to find a suitable person. You would be needing to choose someone who is between 21 and 45 years of age, does not have any complications with child birth, has a supportive family and in good health.
A Fertility Counsellor
- It is recommended that the intended parents and the surrogate mother speak with a mental health professional who can brief on the pros and cons of the agreement. The person can help you get in control of the emotions and discuss the relationship between the two.
Medical test for the parents
- A medical test needs to be done to examine the genetic evaluation of the eggs and sperm.
Medical tests for the gestational surrogate
- The surrogate will go through medical exams and drug screens, while her partner would need to undergo psychological screening.
Signing legal agreement
- An agreement needs to be reached on behalf of both the sides in order to make the venture successful.

How long would it Take for Gestational Surrogacy?

It would take years to locate a healthy and willing gestational surrogate. It might take about 3 to 4 IVF cycles to attain a successful pregnancy, where each cycle takes a minimum of 1 month.

Success Rates

The success rates of gestational surrogacy can be as high as 50% when the intended mother's or the egg donor's age is below 35, while for those above 43, the success rate drops to about 10%. The success rate becomes more stable when embryos are obtained from the intended mother.

ARC can take care of all these intricate details that you would need to go through. There are trained professionals that would this difficult comparatively easy.