Gestational Carrier Program

Many families are created with the help of a gestational carrier. A gestational carrier is someone who carries and delivers a baby on behalf of a couple or an individual who cannot carry the pregnancy themselves for a variety of reasons. Here at Columbia University Fertility Center, we facilitate the process leading up to an embryo transfer into a gestational carrier. While working with outside agencies to find a gestational carrier, intended parent(s) will either use their own eggs/sperm or use donor eggs/sperm to create embryos. Columbia University Fertility Center’s renown egg donor program can help with procuring oocytes when necessary.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires embryos be “eligible” for transfer into a gestational carrier in order to maintain patient safety. This means that egg and sperm sources must be screened prior to embryo creation. FDA screening consists of bloodwork, a physical exam, and a questionnaire detailing medical history and relevant social behavior completed at certain time intervals. Embryos are then cryogenically stored until they are ready for transfer.

Once you select a gestational carrier that fulfills our acceptance criteria, the candidate will first obtain clearance from their treating obstetrician. Then, the gestational carrier, and their partner, if applicable, will undergo additional FDA screening and testing at our center.

If medically cleared, the gestational carrier, their partner (if applicable) and the intended parent(s) will proceed with required psychosocial evaluations, drafting legal agreements and signing consent forms prior to embryo transfer. Columbia University Fertility Center looks forward to helping all patients build the family of their dreams.