Gestational surrogacy has become more common as assisted reproductive technology has improved with significant growth in the industry in recent years. 

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2023, based on cycles that were started in 2021 there were 413,776 ART cycles performed at approximately 453 IVF clinics nationwide that resulted in over 91,906 live births with 97,128 live born infants. This number has grown since 2020 when the CDC reported 326,468 ART cycles performed in that year. Approximately 2.3% of infants born in the United States are conceived using ART, which is up from the year prior when it was 2%.

The demand for assisted reproductive technology is rising. Over the last decade, the CDC reports that the number of embryo transfer cycles that used a gestational carrier has increased. From 3,202 in 2012 to 8,862 in 2021, with a high of 9,195 in 2019. The percentage of transfers using a gestational carrier among all ART cycles also increased, from 2.4% of all ART cycles in 2012 to 4.4% in 2021, with a high of 5.4% in 2019.

While the industry is growing, with that information and given that only 2.3% percent of births in the United States per year were conceived using assisted reproductive technology, and that GC cycles constitute less than 5 percent of embryo transfer cycles, gestational surrogacy still produces a small number of births annually.

These statistics are always changing, and it is important to obtain the most accurate and up-to-date information on ART and gestational surrogacy by visiting the CDC website. Keep in mind that these statistics given by the CDC are usually from roughly two years prior, due to the time it takes to collect the information through the cycle and birth to report accurate information.

It is always exciting to see the upward growth of gestational surrogacy and see that surrogacy is becoming more widely accepted and is more often being presented as an option for those who need to use it. When it comes down to it, taking home a healthy baby at the end of this experience is what is most important and how it is achieved is just the journey to a healthy baby and a happy family.

For more information on surrogacy and becoming a gestational carrier or intended parent, contact us here at Bright Futures Families!

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