Terms Related to Surrogacy and Surrogate Decoded with Meaning – What Intended Parents Should Know

Surrogacy Terms Intended Parents Should Know

Becoming a Surrogate is a big decision. While the surrogacy process is indeed rewarding, candidates need to arm themselves with knowledge before committing to their journey. The vocabulary associated with surrogacy can sometimes be strange and confusing. For this reason, the available information on how surrogacy works might get less clear. In this post, Physician’s Surrogacy clinic & agency, California will define and explain some of the common surrogacy terms you will likely encounter when you read up on surrogacy. Hopefully, this will help you gain a thorough understanding of the process and aid you in making decisions.

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Surrogate/Surrogate Mother/Carrier:

These terms are interchangeable in meaning. However, the general definition for a Surrogate is a woman who is carrying a baby for hopeful parents who cannot have a child on their own. A woman acting as a Surrogate Mother can be classified into two: Gestational Surrogate and Traditional Surrogate.

Gestational Surrogacy:

This refers to pregnancy, where the Surrogate doesn’t share any genetic ties with the baby. In this case, fertility experts use the egg from a donor or the Intended Mother and the sperm of a donor or the Intended Father to create the embryos.

Traditional Surrogacy:

This is a pregnancy where the carrier is biologically related to the child and gets pregnant via artificial insemination (IUI). Although it is the most common type of surrogacy process, the majority of surrogacy arrangements today involve Gestational Surrogacy.

Intended Parent:

Individuals or individuals who the court legally recognizes as the parents of a baby born via surrogacy process.

Egg Donor:

A young woman who donates her eggs, or premature eggs (oocytes) for assisted reproduction through IVF.

Cycle Schedule:

This Surrogacy term refers to the timeline that contains the list of the dates of important monitoring appointments before embryo transfer. Usually, an IVF center prepares it.

Egg Retrieval:

It is the process that harvests eggs from the womb of the egg donor for fertilization during Surrogacy.

Matching:

In this process, an Egg Donor or a Surrogate will undergo the matching with Intended Parents. At our clinic, social workers work together with attorneys to identify Intended Parents and Surrogates or donors who would be perfect matches as per personality, compatibility, shared expectations, and legal requirements.

Surrogacy Contract or Carrier Agreement:

A legal agreement between the Intended Parents and the Surrogate. Normally, attorneys representing the parties involved, carry out the negotiations of the surrogacy contract terms. Once signed, the terms of this contract determine the parties’ interactions. It’s important that both the Surrogate and the Intended Parents read the legal contract line by line in order to have a good understanding of all the conditions involved.

“Blast” or Blastocyst:

The stage of development that an embryo needs to reach before implanting it in the wall of the uterus. Around 40% of human embryos get to this developmental stage after their incubation in the IVF lab for five to six days.

IVF, or In Vitro Fertilization:

A process through which fertilized female eggs and sperm undergo fertilization outside the uterus in a controlled environment. Generally, it can be a petri-dish or test tube. Usually, an experienced reproductive endocrinologist will carry out the process at a fertility clinic. You can learn more about the best IVF experience at Physician’s Surrogacy Clinic & Agency, California.

Frozen Embryo Transfer:

This process is said to occur when a frozen embryo is thawed and transferred into the Surrogate’s womb during Surrogacy.

Beta Testing:

A blood test is carried out approximately ten days after embryo transfer to indicate if a woman has conceived. It examines the levels of hormones that indicate pregnancy, such as LH, Progesterone, Estradiol, and Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG).

Amniocentesis:

A medical test is used to diagnose any chromosomal abnormalities through the examination of amniotic fluid cells surrounding the baby. It usually takes place between 2 and 3 months of pregnancy.

Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS):

A test was carried out to examine the cells in the placenta that is in progress during the surrogacy process. To do this, the doctor inserts a catheter (a thin, flexible tube) into the womb through the vagina, or inserts a small needle through the abdomen into the uterus. It often takes place between 10 and 12 weeks of pregnancy, and like amniocentesis, it can also be useful to detect chromosomal birth defects, like Down syndrome.

Pre-Birth Order:

A court order is obtained before the baby is born. It will put the name on the child’s birth certificate and give you access to the baby when he or she is still in the hospital.

Post-Birth Order:

A court order was obtained after the delivery of the baby. It will replace the name of the Surrogate with the Intended Parents’ names on the birth certificate of the baby.

At Physician’s Surrogacy clinic & agency, California, we provide medical oversight throughout the journey, leading to safe and successful outcomes. In case you would like more information on becoming a Surrogate or about becoming a parent through the surrogacy process, feel free to reach out to us at (858) 345-3273 or visit our website www.physicianssurrogacy.com.

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