🧬 Fertility treatment and surrogacy around the world: the law, country by country

The terms to know before you start

• 🧪 Medically assisted reproduction: artificial insemination or in vitro fertilisation (IVF), with or without donated eggs, sperm or embryos.
• 🤰 Surrogacy: a woman carries a baby for the intended parents.
• 💶 Commercial surrogacy: the woman carrying the baby is paid.
• 🤝 Altruistic surrogacy: only medical and everyday living expenses are reimbursed.
• 📜 Legal parentage: the legal relationship between a child and each of their parents.

Around the world, case by case

1. 1. Local access

   Ask a licensed fertility service about treatment options, consent, donor rules, eligibility and funding in your state/province/territory or country. Not every ART cycle includes IVF or an embryo transfer.

2. 2. Parentage before treatment

   Obtain independent specialist legal advice before donor conception or surrogacy, especially across borders. A genetic link or foreign birth certificate does not automatically settle parentage, citizenship or immigration. Do not assume a payment or surrogacy arrangement lawful in one jurisdiction is lawful in another.

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Read next

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