Legal Definitions - genetic mother

A genetic mother is the woman who contributes the ovum (egg) and, therefore, half of the genetic material to create an embryo. This means she is the biological source of the child's inherited traits and DNA.

This term is important in situations involving assisted reproductive technologies, where the woman who provides the egg may not be the same woman who carries the pregnancy (the gestational mother) or the woman who is legally recognized as the parent.

• Example 1: In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) with a Gestational Surrogate

  A couple, Sarah and Mark, want to have a child. Sarah produces healthy eggs, which are fertilized with Mark's sperm in a laboratory. Due to medical reasons, Sarah is unable to carry a pregnancy to term, so the resulting embryo is implanted into a gestational surrogate, Emily, who carries the baby to birth. In this scenario, Sarah is the genetic mother because her egg provided the genetic material for the child, even though Emily was the gestational mother.

• Example 2: Egg Donation

  Maria and David wish to have a child, but Maria is unable to produce viable eggs. They decide to use an anonymous egg donor. The donor's egg is fertilized with David's sperm, and the embryo is then transferred into Maria's uterus, where she carries the pregnancy to term. Here, the anonymous donor is the genetic mother because her egg contributed the genetic blueprint for the child, while Maria is the gestational and legal mother.

• Example 3: Posthumous Conception Using Frozen Eggs

  Before undergoing cancer treatment, Lisa froze her eggs. Sadly, Lisa passed away a few years later. Her surviving husband, Tom, decided to use one of Lisa's frozen eggs, fertilize it with his sperm, and have the embryo implanted into a gestational surrogate. The child born from this process carries Lisa's genetic material. In this complex situation, Lisa is the genetic mother, even though she never carried the pregnancy and is not alive to raise the child.