When a gestational surrogate gets pregnant through assisted reproductive technology (ART), the goal is a healthy baby. But how likely is that to occur? Many intended parents are curious about gestational surrogacy success rates and their odds of having a healthy baby via surrogacy.
The success of gestational surrogacy depends on many factors, but there is one factor that holds more weight than the others: The quality of the egg. Whether the egg comes from the intended parent or an egg donor, the age of the woman correlates to the quality of the egg, which correlates to success.
For example, using an egg from a woman over age 40 could lower the chances of having a successful pregnancy and birth. Using an egg from a younger woman can help increase the chances of success.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 36.9% of ART pregnancies among all age groups resulted in live-birth deliveries. In 2020, 79,942 infants who were conceived through ART were born in the United States.
The best way to improve your odds of having a healthy baby through ART like in vitro fertilization (IVF) is to use a gestational surrogate. The CDC says that between 1999 and 2013, gestational carrier cycles had higher rates of implantation, pregnancy, and live births when compared to non-gestational carrier cycles.
In that same timeframe, about 2% (30,927) of all ART cycles used a gestational carrier. And more people are using gestational surrogates than ever before — the number of gestational carrier cycles increased from 727 (1.0%) in 1999 to 3,432 (2.5%) in 2013.
How Can You Increase Your Chances of Gestational Surrogacy Success?
To set up your gestational surrogacy journey for the utmost success, choose a fertility agency that prioritizes the health of the egg donor and surrogate. Remember — these two factors are important for the success of a surrogate’s pregnancy.
Choose the Highest Quality Egg Donors
If you haven’t already done so, select an IVF clinic and a Reproductive Endocrinologist (aka RE, aka fertility doctor). Clinics can greatly impact your journey. Ask potential clinics for their specific gestational surrogacy success rates. Clinics with low success rates (or that don’t regularly handle surrogacy and egg donation journeys) may be more difficult to work with, causing you and your surrogate greater frustration, and costing you more money and time.
Healthier eggs and surrogate mothers often lead to better success rates. There is a reason egg donors must meet certain qualifications, such as having a(n):
- Age range between 18 to 30
- Healthy weight and height ratio (body mass index, or BMI)
- Regular menstrual cycle
- Optimal physical health
- And more
Embryo genetic testing is another way that intended parents can set their surrogate up for success. By testing the embryos in advance, the chance of serious problems caused by genetic mutations, hereditary disease, or chromosomal abnormalities is considerably reduced.
Choose the Highest Quality Surrogates
Lastly, choosing a healthy gestational surrogate is a huge part of surrogacy success. The fertility clinic you choose should adhere to a strict list of qualifications for surrogates and follow a rigorous screening process. For example, healthy surrogates should:
- Fall within a certain age range (usually 21-42 years old)
- Be nonsmokers
- Have a healthy body mass index (BMI)
- Have no history of psychiatric disorders
- And more
High quality fertility clinics will match you with a surrogate that gives you the highest chances of success. At The Fertility Agency, the right or wrong match can make or break an entire journey. That’s why we use TrueMatch™, a unique and complimentary service developed by our agency through the years that goes beyond our intuitive sense of what makes an excellent match and provides a more successful fit. We have thousands of babies to show for it.
We highly recommend working with an experienced and compassionate fertility agency. If you’re considering a surrogate through an agency, the stressful part of ensuring the egg and the surrogate are healthy and the highest possible quality are done for you. The agency makes sure all of the proper boxes are checked so you don’t have to worry about it. In doing so, you’re setting yourself up for increased success.
Surrogacy and Egg Donor Services
Since 2004, The Fertility Agency has helped bring over 1100+ babies into the world. We work with all intended parents, surrogates, and egg donors no matter their sexual preference, relationship status, ethnicity, location, etc. Our personal experiences and years of expertise provide us with the perfect balance of business and passion. Contact us for more information.
