Surrogacy - Main Page

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With surrogacy, a woman carries and delivers a child for another couple or person.  It is an arrangement that is used in cases where the intended mother has medical issues which may make the pregnancy and/or delivery impossible or risky.  It is also used by gay men who wish to have children with a biological connection, or become parents through a means other than adoption.

Types of surrogacy

Traditional surrogacy

With this traditional surrogacy, the surrogate is inseminated with the intended father's sperm via artificial insemination, typically in a doctor's office. The surrogate's egg is then fertilized by the sperm to create an embryo which she will carry to term. The surrogate is the genetic mother of the child, and is also the birth-mother.

Gestational surrogacy

With this gestational surrogacy, the intended parents go through an IVF procedure to create an embryo, which is then transferred and implanted in the surrogate mother's uterus. The surrogate, also called the gestational carrier, is the birth-mother, but has no genetic relationship to the child.

Additional information