Exactly How Do Surrogates Get Pregnant

For intended parents (IP), surrogacy is an amazing gift that helps them grow their families. How surrogates get pregnant depends on the type of surrogate you need.

At Great Beginnings Surrogacy Services (GBSS) in San Diego, California, we understand the roller coaster of emotions IPs go through before they reach our door. Our surrogacy and fertility expert, Dr. Samuel Wood, specializes in matching IPs with their ideal surrogate and then assisting them with the surrogacy process.

Here, we want to talk about surrogates and how pregnancy happens.

About surrogates

A surrogate is a woman who agrees to carry and deliver a baby for another person or couple. It’s a legal agreement between both parties. 

However, surrogacy is a controversial infertility treatment, and the rules differ in every state. But how a surrogate gets pregnant is a major factor in determining the child’s true parents in a court of law. 

We’re one of the top surrogacy agencies in the United States and help people worldwide become parents. We think it’s important to know all about the surrogacy pregnancy process before you get started so you understand your rights as the IP.

How surrogates get pregnant

There are two types of surrogates: traditional surrogates and gestational surrogates. How a surrogate gets pregnant determines the type.

Traditional surrogates

A traditional surrogate gets pregnant by artificial insemination. The father’s sperm is placed into the surrogate’s uterus when she’s ovulating. This means the surrogate is the child’s biological mother. 

Gestational surrogate

A gestational surrogate gets pregnant by in vitro fertilization (IVF). For this process, we use an egg from the mother and the sperm from the father and fertilize the egg to create an embryo in the lab. The embryo is then placed in the uterus of the surrogate.

A gestational surrogate has no biological or genetic connection to the baby. At GBSS@G5, we only use gestational surrogates because it’s legally less complicated than traditional surrogacy. 

If we can’t use the egg or sperm from our IPs, like with our LGBTQIA fertility services, we use donated eggs or sperm. 

Choosing a surrogate

Choosing a surrogate is hard, which is why so many parents turn to agencies like ours for help. We have very specific requirements for our surrogates. When selecting surrogates for our IPs, we want people:

• Between the ages of 21 and 38
• With a history of at least one uncomplicated pregnancy but no more than five deliveries
• Who’ve never had a Cesarean section (C-section)
• With a stable and supportive home environment
• With a body mass index (BMI) less than 32
• With no history of drug or alcohol abuse
• Who have reliable transportation

We also prefer surrogates who live in surrogate-friendly states like California. We thoroughly screen of all our surrogates before they meet with our IPs. We also screen surrogates pre-selected by our IPs before moving ahead. 

Our goal is the same as yours, to grow your family. How a surrogate gets pregnant matters, and it’s something both the IPs and surrogates need to take into consideration before signing any contracts. 

If you’re thinking about surrogacy or becoming a surrogate, we can help. Call our office or book an appointment online today.