Get Answers from Fertility CARE: The IVF Center
Selecting the gender of the embryos is a legal procedure in USA and is very easy to carry out by means of an embryo biopsy, followed by a type of complete chromosome screening as "PGD-AS" (Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis of Aneuploidy Screen). To do this, several cells are removed from the outer layer of the embryo. The next step is to vitrify (freeze) the embryos while the extracted cells are analyzed in the laboratory. In this step, all the chromosomes of the embryos(s) are examined, which in turn will allow the sex of the embryos to be determined so that patients will finally have a chromosomally normal embryo of the desired gender.
Currently, only one spermatozoon produced by the same man can fertilize an ovum.
In cycles with frozen embryos, pregnancy rates per embryo transfer are the same whether the cycle is natural or artificial (with medication). No medication is needed for a natural cycle, which reduces the cost of treatment. However, setting a precise transfer date is more complicated than an artificial cycle.
The demands that the surrogate mother, also called gestational carrier, may make must be stipulated in the surrogacy contract. In any case, it is recommended to follow the doctor's indications, because as a specialist, it is the doctor who has studied the characteristics of her menstrual cycle and her endometrium. Therefore, he will know which treatment offers the greatest probability of pregnancy.
Currently, fertilization of an egg only occurs by one sperm cell that is produced from one man.
Absolutely! Florida is one of the best states in the US to undergo the process of surrogacy egg donation and adoption by protecting the best interest of the intended parent(s).
In cycles with frozen embryos, pregnancy rates per embryo transfer are the same whether the cycle is natural or substituted (with medication). No medication is needed for a natural cycle, which reduces the cost of treatment. However, setting a precise transfer date is more complicated than a substituted cycle.
In general, the two reasons for the use of surrogacy are the absence or abnormality of the uterus or a medical contraindication.
Cases of absent/abnormal uterus:
- MRKH syndrome. Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome is a disorder where the female is born with an underdeveloped or absent uterus and vagina.
- History of hysterectomy – a surgery to remove the uterus
- Multiple fibroid tumors of the uterus that cannot resolved by a surgery
- Severe intrauterine scarring (Asherman’s syndrome) irreparable
- A single male or gay male couple
- Unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss or unsuccessful embryo implantations
- Inability to develop the uterine lining (endometrium)
Cases of medical contraindications (relative and absolute):
- A serious medical condition that worsens with pregnancy posing risk to mother and fetus
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Turner’s syndrome
- Uterine cancer
There are two types of surrogacy:
- Traditional surrogacy involves the woman who will carry the pregnancy also to be the source of the egg. She usually will ovulate naturally and undergo intrauterine insemination (IUI). Countries vary in their laws overseeing this arrangement so it is imperative that you consult, in advance of your treatment cycle, with an attorney who is well versed in this area.
- IVF surrogacy is the process of using an egg donor and a separate gestational carrier. Following hormonal stimulation of the egg donor and egg retrieval, the eggs are fertilized with the sperm of one or both partners in a reproductive laboratory through IVF. The embryo is then transferred into the gestational carrier’s uterus, previously prepared hormonally to synchronize optimal receptivity. The resulting baby is genetically unrelated to the carrier.
