Hundreds of babies are born annually via gestational carrier, making parenthood possible for same sex male couples, transgender women, and those unable to carrier a pregnancy due to a medical condition.
A gestational carrier (GC) is a woman who completes a pregnancy on behalf of another person or couple. Donor eggs are fertilized in the lab, and the embryo is placed into her uterus; a GC is not genetically linked to the baby they’re carrying.
You are ultimately responsible for deciding who your GC will be and the nature of the relationship comes down to what makes you the most comfortable. Legal contracts are signed by both parties so that everyone is clear about their roles and responsibilities from the get-go.
While it may seem financially prudent to try and have your GC carry two fetuses at once, twin pregnancy is related to a number of increased risks, for both the GC and baby. Given these risks, our goal is to give you the best chance of successful pregnancy with the lowest possible likelihood for twins.
These are series of requirements that need to be met, which makes the pool of successful carriers impressive and unique. These woman have completed extensive psychological and medical screening, a background check, and had a prior successful pregnancy. If they are married, their partner must undergo psychological and medial screening as well. The women who pass through the screening process are highly committed to making a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
For many, the biggest hurdle for moving forward with a GC is the high cost that this process presents, for services including developing your embryos through IVF, transferring the embryos into the GC’s uterus, paying your GC for their service, agency fees, legal fees, OB insurance for your GC, and additional incidental costs. All told, a cycle with a GC ranges in total costs from about $100k-200k.
As a Third Party Patient Navigator, I work with intended parents to coordinate each step of the matching process, and am there as a resource and to help support patients throughout their journey. I feel lucky to be a part of our intended parents’ path to parenthood. I’m rooting for them during their entire time with us, and feel overjoyed when they find success and can “graduate” from being Spring patients to becoming Spring parents!
RACHEL S. | PATIENT NAVIGATOR, NY