surrogacy

Surrogacy is an arrangement in which a woman carries and gives birth to a baby for another person or couple, often called the intended parents. People may choose it because pregnancy is medically difficult or unsafe, because they cannot conceive, or because they want to build a family in another way, as in some same-sex male couples or single-parent plans. There are two main types: traditional surrogacy, which uses the surrogate's egg, and gestational surrogacy, in which an embryo is created separately and placed in the surrogate.

Surrogacy is an arrangement, often supported by legal agreements, in which a woman carries and delivers a child for another person or couple, usually called the intended parents. It is both a medical and social process, and in modern settings it is closely linked with assisted reproductive technology such as in vitro fertilization (IVF).

There are two main types to consider: *traditional surrogacy, where the surrogate's own egg is used and she is biologically related to the child, and gestational surrogacy*, where an embryo created from the intended parents' or donors' reproductive material is implanted in the surrogate. Gestational surrogacy is more common today in many places because it usually creates clearer legal and biological boundaries.

People turn to surrogacy for many reasons: infertility, repeated pregnancy loss, health conditions that make pregnancy dangerous, the absence of a uterus, family-building by same-sex male couples, or the plans of single people who want a child.

The process often includes medical screening, psychological evaluation, legal contracts about rights and responsibilities, fertility treatment, and support during the pregnancy. The exact process depends heavily on local law, because some countries and states allow it under clear rules, some restrict it, and others do not permit some forms of it at all.

In everyday use, the word can refer either to the practice in general or to a specific arrangement. It usually describes a real medical, legal, and emotional arrangement through which someone becomes a parent with the help of another woman's pregnancy.