Nowadays gestational surrogacy is used for most of the surrogacy cycles in all parts of India. This is a woman who carries a baby that has been conceived using the egg of the intended mother, or an egg donor, and sperm from the intended father or a sperm donor. A gestational surrogate mother has no genetic connection to the baby because it was not the gestational surrogate mother egg that was used during the IVF cycle.

These cycles occur with the procedure called in vitro fertilization (IVF). A gestational surrogate is referred to as the birth mother because she carried the baby and in traditional surrogacy the surrogate mother is referred to as the biological mother because her egg was used.

In both situations the baby is carried to term and then the baby is released to the intended parents for them to raise as their child. In India traditional surrogacy is take by limited people.  Surrogacy is becoming more common for intended mothers who can not carry a pregnancy herself due to uterine issues, or the intended mother may have undergone a hysterectomy, or other health issues that might make a pregnancy for the intended mother risky. Sometimes intended mothers use a surrogate when their infertility is unexplained, or they have endured several miscarriages and getting pregnant and carrying to term has not been successful for them. Sometimes couples use a surrogate due to their ages, or their sexual orientation. Surrogates often help gay men create a family, and an egg donor is also required with gestational surrogacy.

All different kinds of women choose to be surrogate mothers or gestational carriers. Some women are family members (mothers, sisters, aunts, cousins, or in-laws), that are asked to be a surrogate for them. Other women are friends. Because these kinds of arrangements are typically altruistic (no money exchanged and not commercial) the industry views them as somewhat controversial.

There are also women who are commercial surrogates, which means they carry a baby for intended parents for a fee. The majority of surrogates are found through surrogacy agencies with the help of surrogate doctors. The majority of intended parents seek out a surrogacy hospital because these doctor and counselor arrange gestational surrogacy. 

All surrogate mothers should be the minimum age of 25 years old and have already given birth to at least one healthy baby, and has at least one child under the age of 18 still living in the household. This is so the surrogate understands what pregnancy and childbirth are about, what it means to have a baby, and be a parent.

The surrogate must be deemed healthy, physically and mentally. Surrogates must always pass a psychological screening by a mental health professional. This is so a mental health professional can explore or uncover any sort of potential emotional issues the surrogate may have regarding releasing a baby to the intended parents after birth.