What are the top three things movies get wrong? Let's face it; TV shows and movies can be entertaining but aren't always accurate sources of information! When it comes to surrogacy these portrayals often are misrepresented, leaving many intended parents with the wrong idea about why women become surrogates and how strict the criteria that surrogates must meet are. 

Top three things that TV shows and Movies get wrong about surrogacy: 

  • You can be a surrogate if you've never been pregnant (No!) 
  • There is no difference between gestational surrogacy and traditional surrogacy (No!) 
  • Surrogates are just in it for the money (No!) 

On-screen: You can be a surrogate if you've never been pregnant
Reality: No!  

Surrogacy agencies and fertility clinics in the United States will not accept someone as a surrogate if they've never been pregnant before. Many US states have laws that require prospective surrogates to prove that they have previously carried a pregnancy to term without complications and given birth to a healthy baby. 

Unfortunately, this is not what the movie Baby Mama would have viewers believe. In this 2008 comedy starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, a single businesswoman (Kate) hires a working girl (Angie) to become her surrogate. The movie inaccurately shows her going through IVF treatment, faking pregnancy in order to receive her surrogacy compensation, and then becoming pregnant by her husband. All these scenarios are extremely unlikely in real-life surrogacy. 

On-screen: there's no difference between gestational surrogacy and traditional surrogacy
Reality: No!  

Traditional surrogacy and gestational surrogacy are two very different things.  

Traditional surrogacy: The surrogate uses her own egg and the sperm of the Intended Father. This means the child she gives birth to is genetically related to her. Traditional surrogacy is pretty uncommon today, and some states have even banned it completely.  

Gestational surrogacy: It is the most common and legally safest form of surrogacy today. In gestational surrogacy, the embryo is created using the egg of the Intended Mother or egg donor and the sperm of the Intended Father or sperm donor. The embryo is then transferred to the uterus of surrogacy via IVF (in vitro fertilization). This means the surrogate is not the biological parent of the child.  

In a 2018 episode of the sitcom Roseanne, one of the lead characters (Becky) decides to become a surrogate. She says she will be using her own eggs, which would make her a traditional surrogate, which is highly unlikely. 

On-screen: Surrogates are just in it for the money
Reality: NO! 

Surrogates are motivated by the desire to help another individual or couple achieve the dream of becoming a parent, not by financial gain. 

  • Surrogates are compensated for the time and commitment involved in nurturing a healthy pregnancy, attending appointments, and maintaining a relationship with intended parents, not to mention facing an element of risk. 
  • Professional surrogacy agencies will only accept applicants who are genuinely motivated to help someone else start a family. Strict screening procedures will quickly weed out anyone who is in financial distress and/or is only interested in the compensation.  

Here's where the TV show Roseanne gets it wrong again. Not only does Becky claim to be using her own eggs, but she also admits that she is only becoming a surrogate for monetary gain. In other words, surrogacy is portrayed as a ticket to financial security that would otherwise be unavailable to someone without a high school diploma (which, by the way, is another requirement for becoming a surrogate).  

Learn more about becoming a gestational surrogate! 

Want to hear more about the reality of surrogacy? Get in touch with our friendly FSC team. Most of our staff have had personal experience with third-party reproduction, whether as an egg donor, a surrogate, or an IP.  

In every case, they'll know the answer to any question you might have about the process. Call us today! 

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Staci Swiderski, CEO and owner of Family Source Consultants, has been a prominent leader in reproductive medicine for over two decades. Through her strategic vision and dedication, she has developed Family Source Consultants into a globally recognized agency specializing in comprehensive egg donation and gestational surrogacy services. Under Staci’s leadership, the agency has become a trusted partner for intended parents, surrogates, and egg donors worldwide, known for its rigorous standards, compassionate support, and commitment to excellence in third-party reproduction.

Her professional insight is uniquely informed by her own family-building experiences. As an intended parent, Staci welcomed her son via gestational surrogacy in 2005, and as a known egg donor, she assisted an infertile couple in expanding their family. These experiences lend a rare depth to her leadership and have fueled her ongoing dedication to ethical, empathetic, and professional support within the field of reproductive medicine.