At SRM we offer gestational carrier services to assist patients of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities in becoming parents. A gestational carrier, or surrogate, is a woman who carries a baby for the intended parents. The baby is not related to the gestational carrier. In order to assure the best interests of everyone involved—you and your partner (the “intended parents”) and the gestational carrier—the thorough screening and counseling process takes six months from initial screening to embryo transfer. If your carrier is known to you already, she will need to be just as involved as you and your partner in the first stages of the process, in order to ensure all FDA and legal requirements are met. In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)—using eggs or sperm from the intended parents, or from egg or sperm donors—is a necessary part of this arrangement. Once fertilization occurs, the resulting embryo is transferred to the gestational carrier’s uterus. The intended parents are typically extremely involved in the pregnancy. SRM’s specialized staff assists with all third-party reproduction patients, and contacting us is your first step on the road to becoming a parent. We will help you find reputable gestational carrier agencies so you can get started with initial consultations right away.