A gestational carrier is a woman who voluntarily contracts to become pregnant with an embryo derived from the egg and sperm of a couple in whom pregnancy is medically impossible or ill advised for the woman. This option is available to women who have no uterus due to either surgical removal or congenital absence, impaired uterine function due to scarring or damage, or a medical condition that precludes carrying a pregnancy.

Unlike a surrogate mother, the carrier has no genetic relationship to the child. The genetic mother undergoes the ovulation induction and egg retrieval phases of the IVF process, and her eggs are inseminated with her partner’s sperm in the laboratory. Once fertilization and early embryo development have occurred, the embryos are placed into the uterus of the carrier. Every attempt is made to synchronize the genetic mother’s and carrier’s cycles, but if this cannot be accomplished, the embryos may be cryopreserved and then thawed at the appropriate time.

The gestational carrier program is rigorous both physically and emotionally for the genetic parents as well as the gestational carrier. Extensive medical and psychological screening is done with all three participants as part of the preliminary evaluation. Due to the obvious legal implications, legal counsel for the appropriate contracts is also part of the preliminary process, and psychological counseling is mandatory for all participants throughout the pregnancy and post-partum period.