Top 10 Surrogacy Acronyms You Should Know Before Becoming A Surrogate Mother
Before starting your surrogacy process, you will want to know some of the most used surrogacy acronyms. Knowing the acronyms and what each of them means is important because it will help you understand everything in the process faster. You will have the first knowledge about everything the doctors and surrogacy professionals are telling you when they are using acronyms to explain. These are the ten most common ones, and understanding what they are will help your surrogacy process run smoothly.
If you need any help with surrogacy acronyms, contact us at Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado. Our surrogacy professionals will help you out with anything you are confused with and need a better understanding of. We know how overwhelming it may all sound, but it will all be worth it in the end when you help a well-deserving couple have a baby of their own.
If you need adoption help now, please call or text us at 303-670-4673 (HOPE) or visit us at Adoption Choices of Colorado.
1. IP(s): Intended Parent(s)
This is an important one because the intended parents are who you are carrying the baby for. Their embryo is transferred inside of you so that they can get the chance to have a baby of their own without one of them having to carry them. The intended parents are the ones who are wanting to have a biological child through surrogacy.
Other terms that can be included in this category are
- IF(s) = Intended Father(s)
- IM(s) = Intended Mother(s)
- PIF = Potential Intended Father
- PIM = Potential Intended Mother
- PIP = Potential Intended Parent
All of which are a part of the subcategory within IP(s) and are all known as the people for whom you are becoming a surrogate mother.
2. GC/GS: Gestational Carrier/Gestational Surrogate
This is you, the gestational carrier or surrogate. You are the one who carries the baby who is not biologically or genetically related to you. You are carrying the biological baby of the intended parents. This is called gestational surrogacy because you are carrying someone else’s baby. This is different from the term TS, which means traditional surrogate, where the surrogate mother is the egg donor. The term gestational surrogate is used more often because it is legal in more states than traditional surrogacy is.
3. RE: Reproductive Endocrinologist
This is important to remember because this is who has been working with the intended parents and their infertility struggles. Once the RE and the intended parents decide on starting surrogacy, you as the surrogate mother will be another person who interacts with the RE. He or she will coordinate all of the treatments that you will have to undergo to start the surrogacy process. This can include the IVF treatment and the ET, two of the most important procedures that occur during the surrogacy process.
4. OB: Obstetrician; OB/GYN: Obstetrician/Gynecologist
You may already know this term because of your past personal pregnancies, but it is still an important surrogacy acronym. Your OB/GYN is a huge part of your surrogacy process and is the one who signs off on whether or not you are in a healthy condition to become a surrogate. You will work with your OB/GYN throughout the entire surrogacy pregnancy. He or she will make sure that your pregnancy is going smoothly and that the baby is growing and developing healthy as he or she should.
5. ART: Assisted Reproductive Technology
This is a huge part of surrogacy because this includes all methods of assisted reproduction. This technology is how you will become pregnant with the intended parents’ biological baby. This ART can include IVF and ET, two big procedures that require the assistance of reproduction.
6. IVF: In Vitro Fertilization
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Treatment is the retrieving of both the mother’s egg and the father’s sperm. These are then combined in a laboratory dish to create an embryo. This is the fertilizing of embryos stage of the surrogacy. This happens before you become pregnant, while you are taking all of the prepregnancy medications to get you ready. This embryo will then be transferred inside of you and the IVF treatment can go multiple times in case it doesn’t work the first or second time.
7. ET: Embryo Transfer
The embryo transfer is the part where the embryo is placed into your uterus as a surrogate mother. This is a part of the IVF process and is practiced by the certified doctor. This is a more intimate procedure and may feel a little uncomfortable. Your doctor will prepare you for this when you start your surrogacy process and will make you as comfortable as possible, so you have nothing to worry about.
8. BFP: Big Fat Positive and BFN: Big Fat Negative
BFP refers to the positive home pregnancy test you could receive after going through the IVF and ET procedures. This is what we hope you see after the first IVF treatment is done.
BFN is the opposite of this and it means that you received a negative result from your home pregnancy test. This can be discouraging, but if you receive a BFN, your doctors will try the IVF treatment again until you receive that BFP!
9. BCP: Birth Control Pills
You may be confused as to why birth control pills are a part of the surrogacy process because they usually help you not get pregnant. In surrogacy, BCP is sometimes used when a fresh embryo is created. As the surrogate mother, you may have to take birth control pills to become in line with the intended mother’s cycle before the embryo transfer. This is important because as the surrogate mother, having a more synced cycle with the intended mother will help the embryo transfer be more successful.
10. E2: Estradiol and P4: Progesterone
- Estradiol is an estrogen medication that you will take as a surrogate mother to help prepare for the embryo transfer. This will help the lining of the uterus grow, preparing your body for a baby.
- Progesterone is a hormone that helps maintain pregnancy. This prepares the uterine lining as well as regulates your monthly menstrual cycle.
Why Knowing and Understanding These Surrogacy Acronyms is Important
Being knowledgeable about some or all surrogacy acronyms is important because you will already know what the doctors and surrogacy professionals are discussing. Understanding these acronyms also lets you know what to expect during your surrogacy journey at Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado.
If you have any questions or need anything explained more, you can contact a surrogacy professional at one of our surrogate agencies. We are here for you 24/7! We understand that this list may be overwhelming, but we are here to help give you clarity.
If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy and want to learn more about your adoption options, contact Adoption Choices of Colorado by email, phone, or text: Email Us, Text us: 720-371-1099, Call us: 303-670-4673 (HOPE). If you are hoping to adopt, please contact us here.
Meet the Author: Molly Allington is an aspiring author born and raised in Syracuse, New York. When she’s not watching her latest Netflix obsession, you can find her nose deep in a book or in her writing. She has been writing books since she was twelve and is in the process of trying to get her finished books published. Molly has a BA in Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. With her writing, she is hoping to share supportive information and help as many people as possible. Once she starts her own family, she is wanting to adopt.
Stephanie joined the Adoption Choices family in 2014 as the Child Placement Supervisor. Her love for adoption began in first grade when she made friends with twins adopted from Vietnam. Her heart grew strong over the years for adopted children and ultimately led her to graduate school where she continued her focus to her dream of working in the adoption field. Stephanie earned a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver in 2001. Over the past 15 years, Stephanie has worked as a pregnancy counselor and as an adoptive parent counselor for foster care, international adoption and domestic adoption, writing hundreds of home studies for families, and helping build their forever families. Stephanie is married and has three boys ages 12, 9, and 5. Together with her family she enjoys riding bike, playing games, watching her three sons compete in their various sporting and musical activities and go on vacations.
Christy Ikeler, is our Executive Director and Birth Parent Director. Christy has been with Adoption Choices Team for 18 years, since opening the doors in 2002! Christy has a true passion for what she does and her true love is working with and helping each birth parent. Whether she is up all night on the phone talking with them, taking them to doctors appointments, out for their favorite treat, providing counseling or at the hospital during labor and delivery, Christy is very involved every step of the way. She has a contagious laugh and a spunky personality that our birth moms all can bond with and relate to. As an adoptive parent herself, adoption holds a very special place in her heart and she can relate on every level with both birth parents and adoptive parents. In her free time Christy loves spending time with her daughter, gardening, baking and taking vacations with her family. Christy is an excellent leader for our team at Adoption Choices and is truly one of a kind!! As Executive Director, Christy spends time with the staff, birth parents and adoptive families in order to ensure that the agency is running smoothly. She has placed a huge emphasis on community outreach and programs for birth parents. Christy loves the opportunity to lead the agency into a brighter future.
Ms. Mackenzie has built a successful counseling career over the past 20 years, supporting mothers and families, people of all ages and genders, students, community professionals and fellow clinicians. Liv values a diverse professional focus, including the entrepreneurial life of a sole proprietor, the evaluative process of certifying foster/adoptive homes, the insightful and mindful one-on-one one work with enthusiastic clients, and serving as an advocate for underserved populations. Liv is a Licensed Professional Counselor and holds a BA in Pre-Law and Economics from American University, an MA in Counseling from Adams University and a certificate in Human Resource Management from Villanova University. Away from work you will find Liv spending time in nature, biking to the farmer’s market and adventuring with her family.
Catherine A. Madsen, joined the Adoption Choices family as legal counsel in 2013. Catherine is responsible for providing legal guidance to the Agency, training and updating staff on developments in adoption law and legislation, and program development. Catherine
Virginia Frank is an adoption attorney accredited since 1991 with the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys. Ms. Frank is a leader in the field of private adoption and has completed over 4,000 adoptions in her career. Ms. Frank has a law degree from Oklahoma City University and a BA in both Political Science and Communications from the University of Oklahoma.
Cassidie has been with Adoption Choices since 2015, she has her bachelors in Interdisciplinary Affairs with concentrations in both Sociology and Business Management. Cassidie has additional training in Victim Advocacy, foster care and has been working in women’s services for over 10 years. Cassidie has always had a heart for adoption and it was her career dream to work in adoption. She started off doing volunteer work for advocacy programs, adoption organizations and worked in High Risk Maternal Fetal Medicine through the University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Colorado. Cassidie is also blessed to have personally experienced an adoption of her own in 2012, completing her family of five! Cassidie loves what she does as a case worker from initial phone calls, meetings, doctor appointments, interaction with the adoptive families to delivery and counseling. Cassidie has a passion for those in need and strives to help make a difference in the lives of the people she meets. She is a firm believer in being kind, compassionate and open minded in all situations. “Unless you’ve walked in their shoes, there’s no place for judgment. A kind word or compliment can go a long way!” The bittersweet moments in adoption reminds Cassidie each and every time, why she loves what she does!