Fact box

Surrogacy is an arrangement in which a woman carries and delivers a baby for someone else. The woman who carries the baby is the surrogate. The parents-to-be are known as the intended parents. They are involved in the pregnancy, are present at the birth and become the child's (legal) parents after the baby is born.

Methods

? Traditional surrogacy: the surrogate serves as both the egg donor and the surrogate for the embryo. She is impregnated using a procedure known as intrauterine insemination. The surrogate is also the child's biological mother.

? Gestational surrogacy: the surrogate's eggs are not used, meaning the child is not biologically related to her. The embryo is created via in vitro fertilization by using sperm from the biological father and an egg provided by the biological mother. Once the embryo has been implanted in the surrogate's uterus, she will carry it until birth.

Legal status of surrogacy worldwide

? Countries such as France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Bulgaria and China prohibit all forms of surrogacy.

? In countries such as the United Kingdom, Denmark and Belgium, surrogacy is allowed if the surrogate mother is not paid or is only paid reasonable living expenses. Commercial surrogacy is illegal.

? Surrogacy is fully legal in some US states, and in countries such as India, Russia and Ukraine.

Source: The World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention