Welcome to “Your Surrogate Dictionary: All the Terms You Need to Know on Your Surrogate Journey.” This is your go-to resource for demystifying the complex terminology of surrogacy. Whether you’re an intended parent, a surrogate, or just curious about the process, our concise definitions and explanations aim to empower and enlighten you. Let’s navigate the path of surrogacy together, making every step of this remarkable journey clearer and more accessible.

  • What is Abortion: The medical termination of a pregnancy.
  • What is Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART): All treatments or procedures that involve handling eggs or embryos outside the body, including IVF, egg donation, and sperm donation.
  • What is a Benefits Package/Compensation Agreement: A component of the surrogacy agreement that outlines the financial and non-financial support the surrogate will receive for her role in the surrogacy process.
  • What is an Egg Donor: A woman who provides eggs for use in assisted reproduction or for biomedical research.
  • What is an Embryo: An early stage of development for multicellular organisms. In human reproduction, it refers to the initial stage following fertilization of an egg by a sperm, before becoming a fetus.
  • How Are Embryos Graded: A method used to assess embryos created through IVF, based on factors like cell number, appearance, and degree of fragmentation, to select the most viable ones for transfer.
  • What is Embryo Transfer: The process of placing an embryo into the uterus of a gestational surrogate with the goal of achieving pregnancy.
  • What is Estradiol (Estrogen): A form of estrogen hormone therapy used in the surrogacy process. It’s prescribed to thicken the surrogate’s uterine lining, creating an optimal environment for the embryo to implant and grow.
  • What is a Gestational Surrogate: A woman who carries and delivers a child conceived through the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF), using the egg and sperm of the intended parents or donors. The gestational surrogate has no genetic relation to the child.
  • What is In Vitro Fertilization (IVF): A medical procedure in which an egg is fertilized by sperm outside the body, in a laboratory dish. The resulting embryo is then transferred to the uterus of a gestational surrogate.
  • Who are Intended Parents (IPs): Individuals or couples who intend to become the legal parents of a child born through surrogacy.
  • What is Lupron (Leuprolide Acetate): A medication used in the surrogacy process to regulate or suppress the menstrual cycle.
  • What is a Mock Cycle: A trial run before the actual embryo transfer, used to assess how the surrogate’s body responds to hormone treatments.
  • What is an OBGYN (Obstetrician-Gynecologist): A medical doctor specializing in women’s health, including pregnancy, childbirth, and disorders of the reproductive system.
  • What is a Pre-Birth Order (PBO): A legal document obtained during the pregnancy that establishes the intended parents as the legal parents of the child born through surrogacy, often before the child’s birth.
  • What is Progesterone: A hormone prescribed during the surrogacy process to help prepare the surrogate’s uterine lining for implantation of the embryo and to support early pregnancy.
  • What is a Reproductive Endocrinologist (RE): A physician who specializes in managing infertility, reproductive disorders, and assisting with assisted reproductive technologies (ART) such as in vitro fertilization (IVF).
  • What is Selective Reduction: A medical procedure used in pregnancies with multiple fetuses to reduce the number of fetuses.
  • What is a Sperm Donor: A man who provides sperm for use in assisted reproduction.
  • What is Surrogacy: An arrangement where a woman (the surrogate) agrees to carry and give birth to a child for another person or couple (the intended parents), who will become the child’s parent(s) after birth.
  • What is a Surrogacy Agency: An organization that facilitates surrogacy arrangements, providing services such as matching surrogates with intended parents, coordinating medical and legal services, and offering support and counseling.
  • What is a Surrogacy Agreement: A legal contract outlining the rights, responsibilities, and expectations of the intended parents and the surrogate throughout the surrogacy process.
  • What is a Traditional Surrogate: A woman who donates her own egg and carries the pregnancy, making her the biological mother of the child she carries for the intended parents.