Surrogacy Acronyms
If you are just starting out on your fertility journey, the sheer number of medical terms and acronyms can feel overwhelming. To help you decipher what’s going on, we have curated a list of some of the most common surrogacy acronyms you will likely come across.
For ease of reference, we have organized them according to the different stages of the surrogacy process.
Planning and Preparation
AAAA - Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys
A professional organization focused on upholding consistency and ethical practices in adoption and assisted reproductive technology law. It consists of legal professionals with expertise in creating and reviewing surrogacy contracts, legally establishing and protecting the rights of intended parents and surrogates, and addressing all legal aspects of the surrogacy process.
ART - Assisted Reproductive Technology
A fertility treatment involving the manipulation of eggs, embryos, and sperm to assist with reproduction. The most common treatment under ART is In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), where after surgically removing eggs from a woman’s ovaries, whether she be the Intended Mother (IM) or a donor, a specialist combines them with sperm (either the Intended Father (IF) or a donor) to create an embryo and then places them in a woman’s body. In the surrogacy process, this woman is the gestational carrier (GC) or surrogate.
ASRM - American Society for Reproductive Medicine
A multidisciplinary professional association that advances the practice and science of education, research, and ethical practice in reproductive medicine. It works with healthcare providers, physicians, and patients to improve the diagnosis and treatment of infertility problems.
BMI - Body Mass Index
A calculation that estimates a person’s body fat by measuring the ratio of their height to their weight. The formula divides the person’s weight in kilograms by height in square meters.
BCP - Birth Control Pills
Also commonly referred to as oral contraceptive pills (OCPs). These are daily pills that use hormones (progestin and/or estrogen) to manipulate the normal workings of the ovaries and uterus. In surrogacy, they are typically used to regulate the cycle of the gestational carrier and plan medication calendars accordingly.
DE - Donor Egg
In the context of assisted reproductive technology (ART), specifically in vitro fertilization (IVF), a donor egg is a mature egg that a woman (egg donor) provides to another woman or couple (intended parents) to help with conception. In most cases, this process is used when an intended mother is unable to produce viable eggs.
ED - Egg Donor/Donation
An egg donor is a woman who voluntarily gives another woman her mature eggs to assist the recipient (intended mother) in conceiving a child. The eggs are used in assisted reproductive procedures, typically in cases where the intended mother is unable to produce viable eggs. Common reasons for this include genetic concerns, infertility, and advanced maternal age.
To induce superovulation (ovulation of multiple eggs), an egg donor gets hormone injections prior to the exercise. Once ready, the eggs are retrieved from the egg donor via a minor surgical procedure under sedation and are then fertilized and implanted through IVF. The first U.S. successful pregnancy from a donor egg took place in 1984.
RE - Reproductive Endocrinologist
A doctor (gynecologist) who diagnoses and treats infertility and other conditions related to the reproductive system. These specialists use assisted reproductive technology (ART) such as IVF to provide fertility treatments. They also provide egg retrieval services and fertility preservation through egg freezing.
SART - Society of Assisted Reproductive Technology
A US-based organization that specializes in assisted reproductive technology (ART) and IVF. It represents most ART clinics in the United States, establishing and maintaining requisite standards in this field to promote high-quality care.
GC - Gestational Carrier
A gestational carrier refers to a woman who carries a pregnancy on behalf of another person. Though the term gestational carrier and surrogate are often used interchangeably, there is a difference between the two.
A traditional surrogate uses her own egg for conception, with the intended father or donor’s sperm being used to fertilize the egg and conceive the child (through artificial insemination). She is therefore the biological mother of the child.
On the other hand, a gestational carrier does not provide the egg for a pregnancy. Rather, eggs and sperm from the intended parents or donors are used for the conception process in a laboratory (through IVF). Thereafter, the embryos are placed in the gestational carrier for implantation, pregnancy, and delivery.
It is worth noting that a gestational carrier has no biological/genetic relationship with the baby.
GS - Gestational Surrogate
A gestational surrogate is also known as the gestational carrier (see GC above) and is a woman who carries a fetus on behalf of another person or couple (intended parents) through pregnancy to delivery. The person does not provide her own egg for fertilization and conception and therefore does not have any biological connection to the child.
IF - Intended Father
A person who wants to become a father through any form of assisted reproductive technology (ART), such as sperm donation or surrogacy. Through either of these processes, he becomes the legal parent of the child, and could also be genetically related to the child if his sperm is used for fertilization.
IM - Intended Mother
A woman who wants to become the legal mother of a child born through surrogacy. If the surrogacy process uses her own eggs, she will be genetically related to the child.
IP - Intended Parent
An individual who chooses to have a child through the surrogacy process.
TS - Traditional Surrogate
A woman who becomes pregnant using her own eggs and sperm from a sperm donor with the intention of carrying the pregnancy on behalf of another person. The woman can get pregnant via artificial insemination or IVF, where the eggs are fertilized in a laboratory and the embryo placed in her uterus. The traditional surrogate is the child’s biological mother because of her genetic connection to the child.
Medical and Screening Processes
IVF - In Vitro Fertilization
An aspect of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) where human sperm fertilize a human egg outside a woman’s body, typically in a laboratory.
IUI - Intrauterine Insemination
Also known as artificial insemination, this is the process through which specially prepared sperm is placed directly in a woman’s uterus to boost the chances of pregnancy.
SET - Single Embryo Transfer
Placing only one embryo into the uterus with the goal of getting a successful pregnancy while minimizing the risks associated with multiple pregnancies. Please note there is still a 1-2% chance of this embryo naturally splitting, resulting in a multiple pregnancy.
DET - Double Embryo Transfer
Placing two embryos into the uterus to increase the chances of at least one successful implantation. This considerably increases the likelihood of a twin pregnancy. In recent years with the help of scientific resources and technology, DET is outdated and considered unethical for surrogacy by ASRM and reputable REs/clinics. The surrogacy community as a whole strongly supports SET only. DET means your chances of 0-4 babies, as the transfer procedure could be unsuccessful altogether, one embryo could stick, two could stick, two could stick and one split resulting in triplets, or both could split resulting in quadruplets. A multiple pregnancy is high risk to the GC and to the babies.
PGD - Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis and Screening
A technique used to prevent genetic diseases by checking for chromosomal abnormalities in embryos created through IVF. Specialists and intended parents use this approach to identify embryos free from inherited genetic conditions prior to their transfer to the uterus.
PGS - Pre Genetic Screening
Also known as pre-implantation genetic screening, a process that tests the number of chromosomes in embryos formed through IVF for chromosomal disorders. The goal of this testing is to reduce the risk of known chromosomal disorders that can affect the viability of a pregnancy or result in issues like Down’s Syndrome.
Normal embryos have 46 chromosomes, and any number higher or lower than that can reduce the risk of conception or create health problems for the baby.
CVS - Chorionic Villus Sampling
This is a prenatal test that checks a tissue sample from the placenta of a developing fetus to check for genetic problems and chromosomal abnormalities. It is not a routine check but is only offered if there is reason to believe that the child could have a chromosomal or genetic problem.
U/S – Ultrasound
An imaging test that uses high-intensity sound waves to check structures inside the body. In pregnancy, it is used to check the health and development of a baby inside the uterus.
D&C - Dilation & Curettage
A minor surgical procedure that involves dilation of the cervix (lower part of the uterus) to remove tissue from inside the uterus. It can be used to clean the uterus following a miscarriage or to remove pieces of the placenta following childbirth.
Embryo Transfer and Post-Transfer Wait
DP3DT - Days Post 3-Day Transfer
In many cases, an embryo is transferred to a surrogate’s uterus after three or five days. DP3DT is the tracking method used to count the number of days after a three-day transfer is completed.
DP5DT - Days Post 5-Day Transfer
A tracking method used to count the number of days after a five-day embryo transfer is completed.
DPT - Days Post Transfer
A tracking method for tracking post-transfer days.
FET - Frozen Embryo Transfer
If after an IVF process embryos are frozen, the process used to transfer these embryos to the uterus for implantation is known as Frozen Embryo Transfer. The eggs are thawed prior to this process and then placed in the uterus at what is deemed the most optimal time for implantation.
POAS - Pee on a Stick (Take an At-Home Pregnancy Test)
An at-home test used to check for pregnancy. It involves urinating on a pregnancy test stick, which detects the presence of the pregnancy hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG).
EPT - Early Pregnancy Test (At-Home Pregnancy Test)
This is an at-home pregnancy test that checks for the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), the pregnancy hormone.
2WW - Two Week Wait
In IVF, this is the period between embryo transfer and the time when one can take a pregnancy test. Two weeks is generally when HCG levels are likely to be high enough to be detected in an at-home pregnancy test or a blood test.
BETA - Blood Test Used to Determine Pregnancy
Also referred to as the BETA HCG test, this is a test that confirms pregnancy and checks the specific amount of HCG present in blood to determine the age of a fetus.
Pregnancy Testing and Early Pregnancy
BFN - Big Fat Negative (Negative Pregnancy Test)
A negative result from a pregnancy test.
BFP - Big Fat Positive (Positive Pregnancy Test)
A positive result from a pregnancy test.
HCG - Hormone Levels that Determine Pregnancy
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) is also known as the pregnancy hormone. It supports pregnancy by thickening the lining of the uterus and stopping menstruation. Its levels rise steadily from conception up until about 10 weeks of pregnancy.
Pregnancy Monitoring
EDD - Estimated Due Date
This is the estimated date when labor is expected to begin spontaneously as the body prepares for childbirth. In IVF, it is typically estimated at 266 days after embryo transfer into the uterus.
FHR - Fetal Heart Rate
Fetal heart rate typically ranges between 110 and 160 beats per minute (BPM) and is among the ways used to confirm pregnancy and check fetal health and development. It is first detected at around six to seven weeks of pregnancy.
OTC - Over the Counter (Medications or Tests)
Drugs or tests that one can purchase without a prescription to relieve minor symptoms or treat everyday conditions such as headaches or the common cold.
Additional Terms (General Support and Miscellaneous)
CB - Cycle Buddy (Support Person During Treatment)
A supportive partner or friend who accompanies an individual or couple on the fertility journey, providing guidance, emotional support, and companionship.
