A surrogate is a woman who contributes her own egg and carries a child for someone else to raise. She sometimes is referred to as a “traditional surrogate.” A gestational carrier is a woman who carries a child but is not genetically related to the child, because the egg is provided by the intended mother or a donor. Sometimes the term “surrogate” is used to apply to both.

Last updated on October 20, 2011 by Monica Farris Linkner