Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 4, 2025
06:11
Author Spotlight: Exploring the Long-Term Health Impacts of Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection on Offspring
Published on: May 17, 2024
880
Is a Surrogate Pregnancy a High-Risk Pregnancy?
Patricia Amorado1, Everett F Magann2, Amy M Phillips3
1Resident.
Obstetrical & Gynecological Survey
|May 25, 2021
Summary
Gestational carrier pregnancies, often resulting from assisted reproductive technology, do not appear to be high-risk. Residency-trained obstetricians can manage these pregnancies with careful monitoring for potential complications.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Medicine
- Maternal-Fetal Medicine
- Obstetrics
Background:
- Assisted reproductive technology (ART) has led to an increase in gestational carrier (surrogate) pregnancies.
- Determining the appropriate level of care for these pregnancies is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the literature and ascertain if surrogate pregnancies should be classified as high-risk.
- To evaluate if subspecialist management is necessary for gestational surrogates.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive literature search was conducted.
- Twenty-eight relevant studies on surrogate pregnancy and outcomes were analyzed.
Main Results:
- ART and surrogate pregnancies did not demonstrate an increased risk for hypertension, preterm delivery, cesarean delivery, low birth weight, fetal anomalies, or stillbirth.
- The identified risks did not necessitate subspecialist management for gestational surrogates.
- Ideal gestational carriers are healthy, have prior term pregnancies, single embryo implantation, and limited prior cesarean deliveries, suggesting lower inherent risk.
Conclusions:
- Uncomplicated surrogate pregnancies can be managed by residency-trained obstetrician-gynecologists.
- Close monitoring for complications is recommended, but subspecialist care is not universally required.
