How Far Will They Go: A Look at Reproductive-Related Travel

For gestational carrier pregnancies, intended parents' contract with a surrogate to carry a pregnancy created with assisted reproductive technology using eggs and sperm from themselves or third-party donors. Many countries (and some U.S. states) prohibit or restrict surrogacy; thus, becoming parents may require travel to another country or state. This study examined travel patterns and sociodemographic characteristics of intended parents who arranged gestational carrier pregnancies with delivery in Utah, a state that supports, regulates, and tracks such pregnancies: after judicial approval of the contracts, the intended parents (who must be married) are named as legal parents on the birth certificate.

Of the 509,376 pregnancies resulting in …