Using a gestational surrogate

Even though you are using a gestational surrogate, you and your surrogate will still need to go through some of the IVF processes. 

• Eggs – Following consultation with our counsellors and fertility experts, you will need to take fertility drugs to encourage your ovaries to produce eggs. We will then harvest the eggs using a minor surgical procedure, before placing them in a culture dish to be fertilised.. 
  • Donor eggs – If using donated eggs, you will need to decide if you want to source them from a known or unknown donor. We will guide you through both options, but if you prefer an unknown egg donor, we can help you find one through our innovative egg donor programme. 
• Surrogate – Your surrogate will also need to take fertility drugs to prepare her uterus for implantation. She will also need to make regular visits to the clinic. 
• Sperm – Your semen sample can be collected at home or in a private space at the clinic. This will then be added to the culture dish, with the harvested eggs. 
  • Donor sperm – If using donor sperm, it can be sourced by a known or unknown donor. We will guide you through both options. If you prefer an unknown donor, you can select one from our highly regulated sperm bank or the network of high quality sperm banks with whom we collaborate. All sperm used in the IVF process is carefully ‘washed’ so only the strongest and most viable sperm remain. If donor sperm is being used, this is added to the culture dish.
  • Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) – This procedure may be used if previous IVF attempts have failed. ICSI involves a single sperm being injected directly into each egg. 
  • Intracytoplasmic morphologically-selected sperm injection (IMSI) – Our embryologists use enhanced magnification to check for any defects or abnormalities so only the healthiest sperm are used for the ICSI method of IVF.
• Embryo fertilisation and transfer –  Fertilisation takes place in the culture dish. Under a microscope we then examine the embryos and select one or two to be transferred into the surrogate’s uterus. The remainder may be frozen for later use.
  • Preimplantation genetic testing for Aneuploidy (PGT-A) – This screening method ensures only the most viable embryos – those which when analysed contain the correct 23 pairs of chromosomes – are transferred into the surrogate’s uterus.

Frozen embryo transfer (FET) – This is the transfer of good quality embryos that have been frozen during a previous round of IVF. This method avoids the need to repeat an entire IVF cycle if pregnancy is deferred at the time of the IVF cycle.

Our specialist fertility experts tailor our services to your needs. 

• Miscarriage clinic – The clinic is available to anyone who has experienced the devastation of an early pregnancy loss. 

To learn more about our miscarriage clinic, click here