Surrogacy

'Surrogacy' literally means 'help'. It's when a woman gets pregnant on behalf of someone who herself can't carry a pregnancy and have a baby. This is usually because the infertile woman has been born without a uterus/ has a infantile ( very small ) uterus, or uterine cavity is badly damaged due to infection/ adhesions, or women has undergone hysterectomy. Occasionally a uterus can be sufficiently abnormal due to inoperable abnormalities (such as extreme fibroids or intrauterine adhesions) so as to make pregnancy impossible. Rarely the uterus may be normal but a missing protein is causing repeated miscarriages. Sometimes there may be a medical condition making pregnancy potentially life threatening to the mother and/or the child.

Surrogacy means having IVF. The eggs from the infertile woman are fertilised with her own partner's sperm. A resulting embryo is then transferred to the uterus of the surrogate, who carries the pregnancy and has the baby. Genetically it's the child of the infertile couple.

Guidelines for surrogacy are quite strict. If you are considering surrogacy, your IVF counsellor can discuss with you all the steps you are required to take.