Explore surrogacy as another path to parenthood
At Dallas IVF, we believe that there are many ways to achieve your fertility goals. Our DFW fertility center offers surrogacy as a family-building option when the female partner has normally functioning ovaries, but cannot carry a pregnancy for any number reasons.
- Lack of a uterus due to a birth defect or a hysterectomy
- A misshapen uterus and resulting infertility or recurrent pregnancy loss
- Health problems, including breast cancer, severe diabetes or severe heart disease
Surrogacy at Dallas IVF is governed by Texas law
In some states, surrogacy refers to an arrangement where a woman carries a pregnancy for a couple and uses her own eggs. However, this arrangement is not allowed in the state of Texas. As a result, our DFW fertility center uses a different procedure for surrogacy.
The couple will need to select a gestational carrier, the woman who will carry their baby. This woman can be someone the couple knows or she can be an anonymous carrier from an agency. All gestational carriers should have delivered a live, full-term baby at least once and be at least 21 years old.
After selecting a gestational carrier, the couple and carrier need to undergo testing and counseling
It is important for the hopeful parents and their gestational carrier to provide a complete medical history and undergo blood work. The gestational carrier also must undergo an ultrasound to evaluate her uterus. If the physician does not find any problems on the ultrasound that could affect the development of a pregnancy, the gestational carrier and parents can begin psychological counseling.
- Counseling helps the carrier deal with issues related to surrogacy, including the relationship with the parents, attachment issues and the impact of pregnancy.
- Psychological counseling helps parents learn how to have a healthy relationship with their gestational carrier.
All parties involved in the surrogacy process will also need to receive legal counseling to define their rights and responsibilities. For this stage of the process, it is important to see an attorney who is well-versed in Texas law.
The final step of the surrogacy process is IVF
The hopeful parents and their gestational carrier can begin IVF after they complete legal and psychological counseling. The IVF process for gestational surrogacy involves taking the sperm from the male partner and combining it with the female partner’s eggs in the IVF laboratory at our DFW fertility center. If necessary, the couple can use donor eggs or donor sperm.
One of our reproductive endocrinologists will then transfer one or two of the resulting embryos to the uterus of the gestational carrier. Once the woman is pregnant, she will carry and deliver the baby. After the delivery, the gestational carrier will give the baby to the couple.
If you are interested in pursuing surrogacy with Dallas IVF, please contact us today. You can become a proud parent with help from surrogacy.