Surrogacy Surrogacy is a reproductive practice where a woman carries and gives birth to a child for another person or couple. It can be a complex process with legal, medical, emotional, and financial implications. Some reasons for surrogacy include: A woman is unable to get pregnant or carry a pregnancy A woman has a health condition that makes pregnancy dangerous A same-sex male couple or single man wants to have a child Here are some things to know about surrogacy: Genetic relatedness The child's genetic relatedness to the intended parents depends on whether the intended father's sperm is used or a donor's sperm is used. Legal process In some jurisdictions, the intended parents may need to go through an adoption process to have legal rights to the child. Gestational carrier The gestational carrier is not genetically related to the child because she doesn't provide the egg. Selecting a carrier The American Society for Reproductive Medicine recommends that the carrier be a healthy person between the ages of 21 and 45.