Surrogacy provides hope to women who cannot carry a pregnancy to term and deliver a child. There are many reasons why a pregnancy cannot be completed such as uterine damage due to severe pelvic inflammatory disease, cancer, birth defects, and many others. Surrogacy is also sometimes recommended for women who have recurrent miscarriages.

A surrogate is a female who carries the baby for the infertile couple. There are two types of surrogacy. In traditional surrogacy, the surrogate becomes pregnant using her eggs either through insemination with the father's sperm or through in vitro fertilization using the father's sperm. The surrogate must undergo stimulation with follicle stimulating hormone to develop multiple eggs for use in the in vitro process.

In gestational surrogacy, the infertile couple undergoes a standard IVF cycle to produce viable embryos.
The cycles of the surrogate and mother are synchronized so that the embryos can be transferred to the surrogate at
the appropriate time. These embryos carry the genetic material of both parents. The embryo implants, develops, and
is delivered at term.

A surrogate can be a friend, family member, or another volunteer. All surrogates undergo extensive physical and psychological screening to insure their suitability. Compensation is sometimes provided to the surrogate but is rarely
the motivating factor. Many private agencies assist in the surrogacy process.