Surrogacy Third Party Reproduction
Third party family building is the involvement of a third person (a person outside of the couple) to create a baby. There are several ways to participate in third party family building, including:
Pacific Fertility Center, located in Northern California's San Francisco Bay Area, is able to assist patients with egg donation through its Egg Donor Agency. We also support our patients by coordinating their care and that of their egg donor, if they choose an egg donor through another agency or wish to use a known donor.
If a patient requires a sperm donor, we can provide referrals to reliable sperm banks.
If a patient requires the services of a gestational carrier, we can provide referrals to reliable agencies that arrange for gestational carriers. Our third party coordinators will then facilitate our patient's care.
IVF with a Gestational Carrier
Surrogate or gestational surrogate is an older term for what we now refer to as a "gestational carrier."
A gestational carrier is woman who accepts to bear (or be pregnant with) the child of another woman who is incapable of becoming pregnant using her own uterus. The gestational carrier provides a host uterus for the offspring, and does not contribute genetic material, i.e. is not the egg provider. The offspring's genetic material may come from the egg and the sperm provided solely by the aspiring man, woman or couple, referred to as the "intended parents", or in combination with donor egg and/or donor sperm, depending on the needs of the intended parents.
Women who need gestational carriers include those who:
- Do not have a uterus (including gay male couples or single men)
- Have an abnormal uterine cavity
- Have had several recurrent miscarriages
- Have had recurrent failed IVF cycles
- Have a medical reason for which pregnancy is inadvisable
Pacific Fertility Center will refer our patients to surrogacy agencies that assist them in selecting a gestational carrier. Some intended parents may have a family member or close friend that volunteers to be a gestational carrier. We still require an agency as intermediary. There are strict guidelines that we follow to ensure that this is a safe and efficient process for all involved parties. We do not recommend loose relationships or attempts to locate potential gestational carriers online without going through a surrogacy agency. This is an intensive process that requires exacting adherence to FDA regulations and national guidelines and should not be undertaken without significant experience and expertise.
Traditional Surrogacy and Adoption
Classic or traditional surrogacy involves the use of a third party to carry a baby to term. In classic surrogacy, the surrogate also provides the egg (in contrast to a gestational carrier who only carries the pregnancy). The intended father provides the sperm.
Traditional surrogacy and adoption services are not provided by Pacific Fertility Center.