The Tyler Medical Clinic

Assisted Conception - Affordable Infertility Treatments

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The Surrogate Option

In many situations, a woman may want to have a child even when she is not physically capable of carrying her baby, usually due to the absence of the uterus or other medical problems. While some women are born without a uterus, the majority of women in this group have no uterus as a result of hysterectomy, a procedure that removes the organ for medical reasons. The next largest group of women not able to have children include those who have a disease which is known to worsen during pregnancy. In this case, pregnancy may threaten either the patient's or the baby's life.

Surrogate parenting is an option for these women and their partners. There are two types of surrogate situations. One includes a surrogate who is inseminated with the husband's sperm, and who conceives with fertilization of her own egg. The surrogate gives birth to a child which is genetically half of hers and half of the husband's.

The second type of in vitro fertilization surrogating occurs when the surrogate carries to term the embryo conceived by the wife's oocyte and the husband's sperm. The wife's egg is recovered through the usual in vitro fertilization process, and is transferred to the uterus of the surrogate to carry, nourish and deliver. This child does not have any genetic connection to the surrogate, frequently called gestational surrogate, who carried the pregnancy.

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Last modified: 06/09/04