La grossesse par une mère porteuse est le dernier recours et représente souvent la seule option pour des couples dont la partenaire a subi l'ablation chirurgicale de l'utérus, est née sans utérus, a subi plusieurs fausses couches ou dont la santé serait affaiblie par une grossesse en raison d'une pathologie non liée comme une maladie auto-immune telle que le lupus, la maladie de Crohn, ou souvent le diabète.
Achieving a pregnancy by working with a carrier is the court of last resort and represents the only option to couples where the female partner has had surgical removal of her uterus, was born without a uterus, or has had recurrent miscarriages or whose health would be adversely affected by a pregnancy as a result of another unrelated medical condition, usually an auto-immune disease, such as lupus or Crohn's. Diabetes is also a common cause.