Priyanka Chopra and husband, Nick Jonas, have welcomed their first baby via surrogacy, the couple announced on 22 January.

Taking to her Instagram to share the happy news, the actress has requested privacy at this time, so the couple can focus on their family.

The couple haven't revealed the baby's name or gender as yet. However, according to sources quoted by the DailyMail.com, the couple have had a baby girl.

Couples may choose to go the surrogacy route for a number of reasons. One of the most common reasons is either parent struggling with infertility which can be caused by a myriad of underlying reasons.

Other common reasons why people may opt for surrogacy are,

• Physical issues that won't allow the woman to carry the pregnancy to term

• Age: Beyond the age of forty, it can be difficult for a woman to conceive naturally and carry the pregnancy safely to term

• If a person is single, or in a same-sex relationship

• Personal choice

There are mainly two ways in which this is done.

Traditional: In this process, a surrogate mother is artificially inseminated with the father's (or donor's) sperm. She then carries the pregnancy to term for the couple before delivering the baby to the parents.

According to surrogate.com, traditional surrogacy is best suited for parents who prefer to not use anonymous egg donors. It is also more affordable than gestational surrogacy.

Gestational: This process uses an In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) where the egg from the mother (or egg donor) is fertilised with sperm from the father (or sperm donor). The embryo is then placed in the uterus of the surrogate who then carries the pregnancy to term.

The legal process surrounding surrogacy, though, is tricky.

On 20th November 2019, the Surrogacy (regulation) Bill 2019 was moved in the Rajya Sabha.

The bill prohibited surrogacy for commercial purposes, but allowed it for altruistic purposes (without compensation).

According to the bill, the intending couple would require to produce a ‘certificate of essentiality’ and a ‘certificate of eligibility’ issued by authorities. The criteria involve:

1. Indian citizenship and five years of marriage

2. Age limit: 23-50 years (Wife), 26-55 year old (husband)

3. No surviving child (biological, adopted or surrogate, mentally or physically challenged or fatally ill children not included)

4. Other conditions that may be specified by regulations

In India, other celebrities including Shah Rukh Khan, Shilpa Shetty, Ekta and Tushar Kapoor, and Lisa Ray among others have gone the surrogacy route in the past.