OBSTETRIC CARE OF SURROGATES AND RECIPIENTS OF DONOR OOCYTES

The increasing availability and success of assisted reproductive techn ology (ART) have enabled women previously thought infertile to have ch ildren. Included are patients without functioning ovaries who require oocyte donation, others without functional uteri who utilize surrogate s, and women with more traditional disorders. Additionally, the reprod uctive years have been considerably extended. For medical as well as e motional reasons, these gestations require a thorough risk assessment and management plan based upon an understanding of potential complicat ions. The obstetric care of surrogates and recipients of donor oocytes Lies somewhat outside the boundaries of traditional practice. We revi ew the known complications of pregnancy in older women, ART, and surro gate mothers; present the published experience of these pregnancies; a nd offer an approach to their obstetric management.