Common Surrogacy Abbreviations
When you enter the world of surrogacy, you will hear a lot of jargon. Unless you are an experienced gestational carrier (GC) or have had children via surrogate before, you may be a bit confused. At Gift of Life Surrogacy, we walk you through all of these terms to make sure you understand everything fully, but here’s a primer to get you started.
Gestational Carrier or Gestational Surrogate (GC or GS): A GC or GS is a woman who agrees to carry a pregnancy via IVF for a couple but has no genetic ties to the child. The egg and sperm used to create the embryo come from the intended parents (IPs) or from an egg donor and/or sperm donor. Gift of Life Surrogacy Agency specializes in matching GCs or GSes with IPs.
Traditional Carrier or Traditional Surrogate (TC or TS): A TC or TS is a woman who donates her egg to a couple and then subsequently carries the child as well. This makes the TC or TS the biological mother of the child. TCs or TSes can become pregnant through IUI rather than IVF. We do not facilitate traditional surrogacy at Gift of Life.
Intended Parent(s) (IP or IPs): IPs are people who choose to have a child via surrogacy for any reason. The IPs are able to use the mother’s egg or a donor egg, as well as the father’s sperm or donor sperm.
Other common IP abbreviations:
- Intended Father(s) (IF)
- Intended Mother(s) (IM)
- Potential Intended Father (PIF)
- Potential Intended Mother (PIM)
- Potential Intended Parent (PIP)
Pre-Birth Order (PBO): A PBO is a legal document that establishes the parentage for the unborn child. This protects the IPs rights and allows them to have their name on the birth certificate. Whether a state allows for a PBO varies from state to state; Gift of Life’s legal counsel works with IPs and GCs to coordinate what type of legal protection is needed and allowed given the various parties’ states of residence.
Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART): ART refers to the vast variety of methods of assisted reproduction. This includes surrogacy and IVF.
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF): IVF is the process of collecting eggs from a woman and sperm from a man, and fertilizing them in an embryology laboratory, before transferring them (either singularly or multiple) into a carrier (either the biological mother, the intended mother or a surrogate).
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG): HCG is a hormone created by the placenta during pregnancy and is what’s tested for during a blood test for pregnancy.
Embryo Transfer (ET): The ET is completed once the GC’s body is able to accept an embryo according to her menstrual and medication cycle. A carrier is tested for pregnancy approximately two weeks post ET.
Single Embryo Transfer (SET): An SET is when one embryo is transferred. Embryos not used can be frozen.
Double Embryo Transfer (DET): A DET is when two embryos are transferred. Embryos not used can be frozen.
Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET): Similarly to an ET, this kind of transfer involves a frozen embryo. Frozen embryos are generally left over from previous IVF cycles.
This blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on Gift of Life Surrogacy’s website.
