Surrogacy refers to an arrangement whereby a person (the surrogate) agrees to conceive, carry and birth a child for others (the intended parent/s) to raise. A surrogate can assist individuals (single) or couples in their attempt to become parents.
There are two main types of surrogacy: traditional and gestational.
• Traditional surrogacy: in this case the surrogate provides their own eggs and is therefore genetically related to the child. With traditional surrogacy, the surrogate can achieve pregnancy either through Intra-Uterine Insemination (IUI) or In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) with sperm from the intended parent(s) or from a sperm donor.
• Gestational surrogacy: in this case the surrogate has no genetic link to the baby. Through the process of IVF, the egg (from a separate egg donor) is fertilised in the lab with sperm from the intended parent(s) or from a sperm donor, and the embryo created is then placed into the uterus of the gestational surrogate in order to achieve a pregnancy.The egg donor can be a known donor or a clinic-recruited donor (unknown donor). Individuals or couples who are considering gestational surrogacy will have to determine which type of egg donor is right for them.