Surrogacy can help couples struggling with infertility, single people, and members of the LBGTQ community to become parents when they might not otherwise be able to have children. It’s also an option for women with medical conditions that prevent them from carrying a pregnancy.
Traditional surrogacy involves the use of IUI to fertilize a surrogate’s eggs. Gestational surrogacy involves the use of IVF to create embryos that are transferred to a surrogate’s uterus; the surrogate is not genetically related to the child.
Surrogacy gives intended parents the opportunity to be genetically related to their child through one or both parents. It also allows them to be involved in the pregnancy and meet their baby at birth.
*CATO Institute. Defending Gestational Surrogacy: Addressing Misconceptions and Criticisms. 2023
It is important that the intended parents and the surrogate share similar understandings and expectations of the relationship.
The American Society of Reproductive Medicine recommends that surrogate carriers:
A surrogate may be someone you know—like a family member or friend, which is known as “identified surrogacy”—or someone you do not know. A surrogacy agency can help match you with a potential surrogate, as well as coordinate services, mediate contact with your surrogate, and provide support throughout the surrogacy process.
Your surrogacy professional—either a surrogacy agency or a surrogacy attorney—will recommend screenings for the surrogate. These may include:
In surrogacy, steps must be taken to ensure fair treatment of the surrogate. Before the process begins, an attorney will become involved to educate and discuss financial compensation, escrow accounts, insurance, and parentage. The attorney will also create a legal surrogacy contract, which is usually one of two types:
You can read more about other aspects to consider for surrogacy here.
Counseling is an important part of the surrogacy process for everyone involved. Typically, you and your surrogate (along with her partner if appropriate) will meet separately with a counselor for psychological assessment. Later, a group session is conducted to discuss roles, expectations, and potential outcomes.
If financial gain is the only motivation for your surrogate, this should be a concern.
Before you begin, confirm surrogacy is possible in your area and determine which laws will apply to your situation.
See your state
Discover available financial assistance options, such as insurance coverage, clinic payment plans, medication discounts, and grants.
Explore key financial factors, insurance coverage, and other considerations to plan for your fertility journey.
©2025 Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
EMD Serono is the Healthcare business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany in the U.S. and Canada.
This website is intended only for residents of the United States.
Use and access of this site are subject to the terms and conditions set out in our Legal Statement and Privacy Policy.
US-NONF-00157 06/25
By clicking “Continue” below, you will be taken away from Fertility.com to a web site that may contain links or references to other web sites which our Privacy Policy may not apply. We encourage you to read the Privacy Policy of every web site you visit. You are solely responsible for your interactions with such web sites.
