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Despite the increasing visibility of surrogacy in contemporary society, particularly among celebrities, there remains a significant gap in understanding the complexities of the process. This lack of clarity can foster negative perceptions about surrogacy, potentially harming families who rely on it. To counteract this stigma, numerous high-profile figures are publicly sharing their personal experiences with surrogacy, shedding light on their journeys and the reasons behind their decision to engage a gestational surrogate to expand their families. Their stories aim to normalize surrogacy and encourage open discussions about its benefits.

Discover the heartfelt reasons why these prominent figures chose to embrace surrogacy as a path to parenthood.

Gabrielle Union turned to surrogacy following years of battling fertility issues. Reflecting on her struggles in her memoir, You Got Anything Stronger?, she recounts the numerous miscarriages she experienced before being diagnosed with adenomyosis. This condition causes the tissue lining the uterus to grow into the muscular wall, often leading to pregnancy loss. Ultimately, her doctor advised that surrogacy would provide her with the best chance of having a healthy child.

Initially hesitant about the idea of surrogacy and considering a risky medication that had limited success, it was her husband, Dwyane Wade, who encouraged her to accept surrogacy as the right decision. She recalls his supportive words, “You’ve done enough… As much as we want this child, I want you. We’ve lost too much in our relationship for me to feel comfortable pushing you to do one more thing to your body and your soul.”

Kim Kardashian successfully carried her first two children with Kanye West, but her experience took a dangerous turn when she developed a life-threatening condition known as placenta accreta. This serious complication involves the placenta attaching too deeply to the uterine wall, which can lead to severe bleeding. Kim underwent five surgeries within a year and a half to repair the damage caused by this condition.

Although the couple hoped that these surgeries would enable Kim to have safe pregnancies in the future, the risks proved too high for her to carry any additional children. Consequently, Kim and Kanye opted for surrogacy to welcome their two youngest children into the world.

“I asked my doctors if I could try again, and they responded, ‘We wouldn’t even put an embryo in you; that would be malpractice.’ So, I chose to have a surrogate to carry the last two embryos we had. I’m incredibly grateful for my beautiful children, regardless of how they came to me. I truly appreciate surrogates,” she shared in an Instagram video.

Paris Hilton decided to use a surrogate to welcome her two children, citing the trauma she faced during her youth. She experienced abuse while attending a boarding school that she described as abusive, where she was subjected to various forms of mistreatment, including nonconsensual gynecological examinations. The psychological impact left her with significant PTSD, making visits to medical facilities a source of panic for her. She ultimately felt that surrogacy was the healthiest option for both herself and her children.

“When I’m in a doctor’s office, if I receive a shot or any treatment, I can easily have a panic attack and struggle to breathe,” she told Romper. “I just knew that wouldn’t be healthy for me or for the baby, growing inside someone with such high anxiety.”

In 2015, Lucy Liu chose surrogacy to welcome her son, Rockwell. At the time, she was single and was uncertain about when she would find a partner to start a family in the traditional way.

“It just felt like the right option for me because I was working and didn’t know when I would be able to pause my career to start a family. I decided that this was probably the best solution for me, and it turned out to be a fantastic experience,” Lucy shared with PEOPLE.

Before Kristen Wiig and her husband, Avi Rothman, welcomed twins through surrogacy, they faced significant challenges in their quest to conceive. They turned to IVF and spent three arduous years struggling to achieve pregnancy. Reflecting on this period, Kristen noted that it was one of the most challenging times in her life, and it took considerable time for her to come to terms with the idea of surrogacy.

“We had been together for about five years, and three of those years were spent in an [in vitro fertilization] haze. Emotionally, spiritually, and medically, it was possibly the most difficult time in my life. I lost a sense of myself… It was just bad news after bad news. There was so much stress and heartache,” Kristen shared with InStyle in 2020.

She added, “I eventually realized that I needed help. Thankfully, we found the most amazing surrogate… I became really close with our surrogate, and it was her first time doing this, so we experienced everything together. When the babies were born, I wanted to ensure she was okay, and she wanted to make sure I was okay too.”

After Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick welcomed their first child, they spent several years trying to expand their family. Unfortunately, they faced fertility challenges and encountered numerous disappointments before deciding to pursue surrogacy.

“You know, we’ve been trying to expand our family for several years and have explored various methods. This was one of the options we discussed seriously that seemed to have real potential for us,” she revealed in an interview with Access Hollywood. “It would have felt strange to have made this choice if I could have had successful pregnancies since the birth of my son.”

Giuliana Rancic and her husband Bill have been transparent about their struggles to welcome their son. During their journey to conceive, Giuliana was diagnosed with breast cancer, making pregnancy a less viable option for her. After she was declared cancer-free following treatment, doctors advised waiting three to five years before attempting to conceive, leading the couple to consider surrogacy as an alternative.

“If she’d gotten pregnant, it probably wouldn’t have been a good outcome due to all the hormones — it would have made the cancer surge. So, this was the best option,” Bill shared with Us Weekly.

Jimmy Fallon and his wife Nancy faced years of infertility before deciding to pursue surrogacy. Jimmy recalls that the couple initially “tried a bunch of things” to conceive naturally, which turned out to be an “awful” period in their lives. Ultimately, they turned to surrogacy as a solution.

“We tried for a long time, for five years. I know people have tried for much longer, but if there’s anyone out there trying and feeling hopeless… just hang in there,” he advised on the Today show. “Try every avenue; do whatever you can, because you will get there. You will end up with a family, and it’s so worth it. It’s the most ‘worth it’ thing.”

For Jordana Brewster and her husband Andrew Kind, the decision to pursue surrogacy came after they encountered difficulties conceiving naturally. Looking back, Jordana reflects on her initial belief that conceiving would be a straightforward process, only to realize later that she needed to explore alternative options.

“I thought [conceiving] would be no problem for me, which I believe a lot of women do,” she shared with PEOPLE. “I feel like we kind of assume, ‘Oh, okay, I’m on the track, I’ve been married and now I want to have a baby, and it shouldn’t be a big deal.’ And then suddenly you realize, ‘Wait, this is going to be a bit more complicated than I thought.’”

She added, “I think [other moms] assumed that I didn’t want to carry, or I didn’t want to go through that experience. There’s just an inherent judgment surrounding surrogacy.”

When Elizabeth Banks and her husband, Max Handelman, welcomed their first child, she disclosed that he was born through surrogacy. Elizabeth explained that after years of unsuccessful attempts to conceive, they decided to pursue surrogacy to