Gestational Carrier
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A gestational carrier is someone with a uterus who carries a pregnancy for another person or couple. This person is screened and compensated.
What are the reasons that patients consider having a gestational carrier?
The most common reasons include:
Neither intended parent(s) have a uterus.
A patient with a medical disease where pregnancy poses a significant risk to either the patient or the fetus.
A patient with a medical disease that cannot be adequately treated during pregnancy due to risks of treatment to the fetus.
A patient who has a uterus where pregnancy success rates with fertility treatment are expected to be significantly lower, such as a previously scarred uterus.
How does the process work?
The first step is to find and screen the gestational carrier. This process often takes 6 months to 1 year. Patients who are going through IVF to transfer an embryo to the gestational carrier may choose to create and freeze embryos during this time or may choose to find the gestational carrier first.
Mate has built partnerships with gestational carrier agencies. These vetted agencies will optimize the process of finding and screening an ideal gestational carrier for optimal health and commitment to the process.
The agencies assist with creating a legal contract which helps outline the agreement between the intended parents and the gestational carrier. This contract is very important. It protects both parties. Many decisions need to be made about how situations will be handled if there are complications in the pregnancy. The intended parents and gestational carrier need to agree upon how to handle circumstances such as if a pregnancy termination or an emergency cesarean section is needed. This alignment is incredibly important to decrease the risk of conflict between the intended parent(s) and the gestational carrier.