It is crucial to use the correct language when discussing surrogacy, given the complexity and intricacy of its process.

The terms “surrogate,” “surrogate mother,” and “gestational carrier” are used interchangeably to mean a woman who voluntarily carries a child for someone else. However, we don't encourage using the term ‘surrogate mother.’ 

Let's take a look at the different types of surrogacy so we can better understand why.

There are two types of surrogacy: traditional surrogacy and gestational surrogacy.

• A traditional surrogate is the biological mother of the child she carries, so surrogate “mother” is more applicable in these situations. 

• However, a gestational carrier shares no DNA with the baby she carries. The embryo transferred to her uterus is created with the intended parents (or donor). 

And as gestational carriers are the more modern and popular form of surrogacy, calling her the surrogate “mother” is inappropriate. Women go into surrogacy knowing that the babies they carry will be handed over to the intended parents once they are born, so she never feels like a “mother” to the baby she carries at all.

It’s also important to be mindful of using the word ‘mother’ with surrogates and gestational carriers because of the emotional weight of the term “mother.”

The proper term for a woman carrying a pregnancy for someone else is “gestational carrier.” At Alcea, use and encourage others to use “gestational carrier” or “gestational surrogate” — not “surrogate mother.”