Gestational Surrogacy: Important Terms You Should Know as a Surrogate in Oklahoma

You’ve always had a desire to help others, and you’ve always marveled over the miracle of pregnancy and childbirth. You understand that many people can’t have children through conventional means, so you’ve decided to become a surrogate mother at Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Oklahoma.

As a candidate, you should have a general understanding of what gestational surrogacy is and how the surrogacy process works. You should be familiar with certain terms, and you should know who is involved in gestational surrogacy.

Here are some important terms you should know as a surrogate:

1) Gestational Carrier/Gestational Surrogate

There are two different types of surrogacy: traditional surrogacy and gestational surrogacy. Likewise, there are two different types of surrogates: traditional surrogates and gestational carriers. Gestational carrier (or gestational surrogate) is the technical term for a surrogate mother who carries and delivers a baby through gestational surrogacy. Unlike a traditional surrogate, a gestational carrier is not biologically related to the child. Her egg was not used for the conception process.

2) Intended Parents

The intended parents are the people who are trying to have children through gestational surrogacy. They are the people you’ll be working for.

The intended parents are usually the child’s (or children’s) biological parents. However, sometimes the intended parents use donated eggs and sperm instead of their own. Regardless, they are the child’s legal parents.

3) Matching/Matching Process

Surrogacy agencies, like Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Oklahoma, interview and evaluate the potential surrogates and the intended parents. Based one everyone’s preferences and desires, the intended parents will be paired with a specific surrogate. This is known as “the matching process.”

4) In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is the process in which the child is (or children are) conceived. After the sperm is collected from the intended father (or a donor) and the egg is collected from the intended mother (or a donor), they are taken to a lab and used to conceive a lab-fertilized embryo. The embryo is then placed into the surrogate.

5) Egg Retrieval

Egg retrieval is the process in which the egg is removed from the intended mother (or the donor) for the IVF. Unlike the intended father (or the donor), the intended mother (or the donor) has to undergo surgery to retrieve her eggs.

Important Terms You Should Know as a Surrogate

We hope this gives you a better idea of what to expect from the surrogacy process, who is involved, and what gestational surrogacy entails. Now that you’re prepared for what lies ahead, we look forward to working with you. If you have any additional questions, don’t be afraid to contact us.

Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Oklahoma is a surrogacy and adoption agency, licensed by the state of Oklahoma and leader in the community. We assist both intended parents and gestational carriers (surrogates). Our staff members are committed to providing an ethical, empowering, and personalized experience to all involved in the surrogacy process.
Toll-free: 800-898-6028 | OKC Local: 405-755-1999 | Tulsa Local: 918-447-7777 | Text: 405-310-8790 | Email

Meet the Author: Heather Valenzano is an up-and-coming content creator with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications and a minor in English. After graduating from Iona College in 2019, she got an internship – and then a part-time job – writing blogs and managing social media accounts for Hip New Jersey, a lifestyle website owned by Long Shot Productions. She has also produced website and social media content for CommonPage, an external collaboration platform.

When she isn’t working, Heather enjoys watching crime shows like Forensic Files or posting book reviews to OnlineBookClub.org under the username “LavenderLiterature2.”