FAQs – Surrogacy

At Manchester Fertility, Surrogacy is available to everyone, regardless of gender, relationship status or sexual orientation. You may consider surrogacy if: 

• You are in a male same-sex relationship where neither partner can carry a pregnancy to term
• Neither you nor a potential partner can carry a pregnancy to term for psychological or emotional reasons
• Neither you as a single person nor you or a potential partner if you are in a relationship, can carry a pregnancy to term for medical reasons 

If you need both donor sperm and donor eggs for your surrogacy treatment, we will be unable to facilitate this for you due to the law requiring at least one intended parent to be a biological parent of the child. 

For more information, please contact the clinic directly to discuss the next steps or alternative options for treatment. 

Full surrogacy, or Gestational Surrogacy, is when the eggs from an intended parent or a donor are used to make embryos for the surrogacy treatment. Therefore, there is no genetic connection between the baby and the surrogate. 

Partial Surrogacy, or Traditional Surrogacy, involves an egg from the chosen surrogate being fertilised using sperm from an intended parent of the baby. In this case, the surrogate and your baby would have a genetic connection. 

Regardless of whether or not you use donor eggs for your treatment, you will still need a parental order. 

At Manchester Fertility, we predominantly use IVF and ICSI to help your surrogate get pregnant regardless of whether a patient has chosen the Full Surrogacy or Partial Surrogacy pathway. This is because we believe it ensures the highest possible chances of success for your treatment. 

If you have any concerns about the treatment process, our expert team is always ready to offer their support and answer any questions. Contact the clinic directly via your patient app or on 0161 300 2730. 

A parental order is necessary to become the legal parent of a surrogate-born child in the UK. There are a few conditions that an intended parent must meet to apply for a parental order. These are: 

• The intended parent(s) must be domiciled in the UK
• There has to be a medical reason for someone to undergo surrogacy – such as social infertility, in the case of male same-sex couples, where neither can carry a pregnancy, single men that cannot carry a pregnancy, or those diagnosed with infertility and/or are unable to carry a pregnancy
• There must be a genetic link to the child via one of the intended parent(s)

HFEA, the Human Fertilisation & Embryo Authority, advises that you cannot pay a surrogate in the UK. However, you are responsible for reimbursing any reasonable expenses that the surrogate incurs, such as maternity clothes, travel expenses and loss of earnings.

It is not unusual for a family member or close friend to act as a surrogate. However, some patients prefer to choose their surrogate from a recognised surrogacy partner for their treatment.

We understand that finding a surrogate is a deeply personal choice. Although we can't make the decision for you, as a specialist fertility clinic, we have compiled all the resources you will need to help you in your search. 

Several UK-based organisations can support those on their journey through surrogacy and help you source the right surrogate for your treatment. We would recommend the following: 

• My Surrogacy Journey
• Surrogacy UK 
• Brilliant Beginnings
• Childlessness Overcome Through Surrogacy (COTS)

Surrogacy can be a long process, and it is important to be realistic and take the time you need at each stage. Generally, you can expect a surrogacy journey to take at least 18-24 months. Still, depending on the surrogacy destination you choose and how your personal journey progresses, it could take double that.

If you use donor eggs or sperm from a Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) licensed clinic, your donor will not:

• Be the legal parent of any child born
• Have any legal obligation to any child born
• Have any rights over how the child will be brought up
• Be asked to support the child financially
• Be named on the birth certificate

If you source donor eggs for your surrogacy treatment, it will be the surrogate, not the donor, who is considered your child's legal parent until your parental order is processed. 

Yes, many people choose a friend or family member to act as their surrogate because they already have a good relationship. It is important to still have the proper agreements in place and to seek legal advice about your surrogacy, similar to if you sourced a surrogate through an agency, even if you have a close relationship with your surrogate.

Yes, surrogacy is legal in the UK, but if you make a surrogacy agreement, it cannot be enforced by the law. You can find more information on the legal implications of having a child via surrogacy and advice for intended parents on the GOV.UK website.

As surrogacy is unavailable via the NHS, many futures intended parents choose to start their families through an HFEA-licensed fertility clinic. As My Surrogacy Journey's Northern & Midlands Centre of Excellence, we offer comprehensive, tailored surrogacy treatment packages to everyone, regardless of gender, relationship status or sexual orientation. 

Due to current UK law, the surrogate is automatically regarded as the child's legal parent, even if they are not genetically related. 

However, you should still be treated as the child's caregiver and be expected to care for your child from birth. Once your parental order application is approved, legal parenthood will be transferred from the surrogate to you.

There are many different paths for surrogacy that you could choose to take. However, we have detailed a typical journey below for your reference: 

• Initial Consultation: We want you to feel supported throughout your journey with us. If you have decided surrogacy is the right path for you, we'll ask that you attend a consultation at our state-of-the-art clinic so we can discuss the medical, legal and emotional implications of your choice - and offer any advice we can to help you begin your journey. 
• Source an Egg and/or Sperm Donor: Our patients are fortunate at Manchester Fertility, as we offer access to donor eggs and sperm through our partner clinics Manchester Donors and Semovo. If you require either for your surrogacy, we can help you arrange this. In the case of Partial surrogacy, the egg used for treatment will be given by your surrogate.
• Choose Your Surrogate: Choosing a surrogate is a deeply personal and important part of your journey to starting a family. You may have a personal connection to your surrogate or instead source yours through a reputable network. No matter your choice, we'll support you with advice and expert knowledge so you can make the best choice for your future family. At this stage, we also recommend you take the time to get to know your surrogate, see if they're the right fit for you and iron out any of the legal details.
• Fertilisation and Embryo Transfer Process: Your surrogate, an intended parent or an egg donor will be given medication to help develop their eggs and undergo an egg retrieval procedure. Frozen eggs from a donor can also be used. The eggs are then fertilised in the laboratory to create an embryo, which will be transferred to the surrogate.
• Maternity and the Birth of Your Child: After approximately nine months, your surrogate will help you welcome your child into the world. Most intended parents join the surrogate at the hospital for the birth. After the baby is born and the surrogate is discharged from the hospital, you and your surrogate can all return home with your new baby and the surrogate with the satisfaction of giving the selfless gift of parenthood to someone else.
• Transfer of Legal Parenthood: When your baby is born, you must apply for a parental order to transfer legal parenthood from the surrogate to the intended parents or IP(s). This can only be done with the surrogate's consent. However, this can be a very straightforward process with the right legal advice and preparation. The parental order process occurs after birth and involves the family court and a court-appointed social worker. 

A person must meet a few requirements before they can become a surrogate. This ensures that your child and the surrogate are at no risk during the pregnancy. These criteria are:

• Be in good physical health
• Be a minimum of 21 years of age
• Be a non-smoker
• Be willing to undertake fertility treatment

The surrogacy networks we work with, and recommend, ensure the surrogates they work with meet all of these criteria in advance. 

The two types of surrogacy are Full Surrogacy, also known as Gestational Surrogacy, and Partial Surrogacy, also known as Traditional surrogacy. 

Full surrogacy is when the eggs from an intended parent or a donor are used to make embryos for the surrogacy treatment. Therefore, there is no genetic connection between the baby and the surrogate. 

Partial Surrogacy, or Traditional Surrogacy, involves an egg from the chosen surrogate being fertilised using sperm from an intended parent of the baby. In this case, the surrogate and your baby would have a genetic connection. 

Regardless of whether or not you use donor eggs for your treatment, you will still need a parental order. 

Yes, same-sex couples and single individuals can use surrogacy to have a child. However, to apply for a parental order within the UK, a process required to transfer legal parenthood from the surrogate to the intended parent(s), the intended parent(s) must have a genetic link to the surrogate-born child.