Surrogate Motherhood

Surrogate Motherhood refers to an arrangement where a woman bears and delivers a baby for a couple who is (usually) unable to have a baby through natural means. Oftentimes, this type of arrangement is undergone because the wife is infertile or unable to carry a child due to medical reasons. Couples where both partners are male have also been known to use a surrogate to have a baby.

There are two major types of Surrogate Motherhood. Traditional or Genetic Surrogacy is when the surrogate mother's own egg is used and fertilized by the husband's sperm through artificial means. Gestational Surrogacy is when the baby is not genetically related to the surrogate mother. The embryo that is implanted in the surrogate mother may be from the husband and wife's own sperm and egg, or from another donor's.