Surrogacy Glossary

Every term you need to know, explained for surrogates.

💰 Compensation Terms

Gestational Surrogacy Compensation
Gestational surrogacy compensation is the total financial package a surrogate re... Base Compensation
Base compensation is the core payment a surrogate receives for carrying a pregna... Surrogate Pay
Surrogate pay refers to all money a surrogate receives throughout her journey — ... Monthly Allowance
A monthly allowance is a recurring payment made to a surrogate throughout her pr... Escrow Account
An escrow account is a neutral, third-party financial account where intended par... Embryo Transfer Fee
An embryo transfer fee is a one-time payment made to the surrogate for each embr... C-Section Bonus
A c-section bonus is additional compensation paid to a surrogate if she delivers... Multiples Bonus
A multiples bonus is extra compensation added to base pay when a surrogate carri... Maternity Clothing Allowance
A maternity clothing allowance is a fixed payment provided to a surrogate to cov... Lost Wages
Lost wages reimbursement covers income a surrogate loses when she misses work du... Bed Rest Pay
Bed rest pay is compensation for income lost when a surrogate is placed on medic... Life Insurance for Surrogates
Life insurance for surrogates is a term life policy required by most surrogacy c... Signing Bonus
A signing bonus is a one-time payment some agencies offer surrogates upon signin... Total Package Value
Total package value is the complete financial worth of a surrogacy journey — add... Surrogate Referral Bonus
A surrogate referral bonus is a cash reward paid to a surrogate when she success...

⚖️ Legal Terms

Pre-Birth Order
A pre-birth order (PBO) is a court order issued before delivery that legally est... Surrogacy Contract
A surrogacy contract is the legally binding agreement between a surrogate (gesta... Gestational Carrier Agreement
A gestational carrier agreement (GCA) is the formal legal term for the surrogacy... Surrogacy-Friendly States
Surrogacy-friendly states are U.S. states with laws or established legal precede... Independent Legal Counsel
Independent legal counsel (ILC) refers to an attorney who represents only the su... Intended Parents' Rights
Intended parents' rights are the legal entitlements of the person or couple comm... Surrogate's Rights
A surrogate's rights are the legal and contractual protections that ensure a ges... Altruistic vs. Compensated Surrogacy
Altruistic surrogacy is when a surrogate receives no financial compensation beyo... Parentage Order
A parentage order is a court order that establishes who the legal parents of a c... Surrogacy Laws by State
Surrogacy laws by state refers to the patchwork of state-level legislation, cour...

🏥 Medical Terms

Gestational Surrogacy
Gestational surrogacy is a surrogacy arrangement where the surrogate carries an ... Traditional Surrogacy
Traditional surrogacy is an arrangement where the surrogate uses her own egg — m... IVF (In Vitro Fertilization)
IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) is the medical process of fertilizing an egg with s... Embryo Transfer
An embryo transfer is the medical procedure where a fertilized embryo is placed ... Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET)
A frozen embryo transfer (FET) uses a previously frozen embryo — one that was cr... Medical Clearance
Medical clearance is the formal approval from a fertility clinic that a surrogat... Psychological Screening
Psychological screening is a mental health evaluation required for all surrogate... BMI Requirements
BMI requirements are the body mass index thresholds that surrogacy agencies and ... Mock Cycle
A mock cycle (also called a trial cycle) is a preparatory hormone treatment that... Beta-hCG
Beta-hCG (beta human chorionic gonadotropin) is the pregnancy hormone measured i... Fetal Heartbeat
Detection of a fetal heartbeat on ultrasound — typically around 6–7 weeks of pre... Selective Reduction
Selective reduction is a medical procedure to reduce the number of fetuses in a ... Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy, chara... Preeclampsia
Preeclampsia is a serious pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pre... Egg Donation
Egg donation is the process by which a woman provides her eggs to be used in an ...

🏢 Agency Terms

Surrogacy Agency
A surrogacy agency is a company that coordinates gestational surrogacy arrangeme... Matching Process
The matching process is how a surrogacy agency connects a surrogate with intende... Case Manager
A case manager (also called a surrogate coordinator) is the agency staff member ... Agency vs. Independent Surrogacy
Agency surrogacy means working with a professional agency to coordinate your mat... Agency Red Flags
Agency red flags are warning signs that a surrogacy agency may be untrustworthy,...

🛡️ Insurance Terms

👥 Community Terms

Gestational Carrier
Gestational carrier (GC) is the preferred clinical and legal term for a surrogat... Intended Parents
Intended parents (IPs) are the person or couple who commission a surrogacy arran...