Repropedia

A Reproductive Lexicon

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surrogacy

Surrogacy is an arrangement in which a woman carries and delivers a child for another couple or person. Surrogacy may be traditional or gestational. Traditional surrogacy is the treatment in which a third-party woman carries an embryo created after artificial insemination in her uterus. In this case, the third-party woman has a genetic link to the fetus she might carry and deliver. Gestational surrogacy (using a gestational carrier/uterine carrier) is the treatment in which a third-party woman carries an embryo created after in vitro fertilization in her uterus. In this case, the third-party woman has no genetic link to the fetus she might carry and deliver.