Types of infertility treatment - Surrogacy

The Private Healthcare UK guide to infertility treatment contains articles on infertility and IVF treatment which are aimed at improving your knowledge of treatments for infertility, their benefits and potential risks.

The guide is sponsored by The London Women's Clinic, leading fertility specialists who have been involved in fertility management since 1984.

The London Women's Clinic (LWC) provides IVF and fertility treatments to assist couples and individuals overcome their difficulties in conception and pregnancy.

With over 20 years’ experience in the treatment of fertility problems, their team delivers a full range of diagnostic and treatment programmes for fertility disorders. Their clinics based in London, the North of England and Wales operate one of the most successful IVF programmes in the world.

The LWC in Harley Street is rated in the top three amongst all UK licensed centres for women aged up to 35 and the HFEA has published the centre specific IVF success rates for the period 1st January – 30th June 2007 showing verified results of 55.7% success.

The LWC have also championed the practice of egg-sharing, and their egg donation programme provides hope to many women, who previously believed they could not have children. The assisted reproduction services are complemented by gynaecology services such as a pre-conception and Well Woman check-ups.

For more information about The London Women’s Clinic:

The London Women's Clinic London

113 - 115 Harley Street

London W1G 6AP UK

Tel:         +44 (0) 20 7487 5050         (main switchboard)

Tel:         +44 (0) 20 7563 4309         (appointments & enquiries)

Fax:         +44 (0) 20 7487 5850

Email: info@londonwomensclinic.com  

In this section

Surrogacy is when one woman (the surrogate mother) agrees to bear a child for another couple (the intended parents or the commissioning couple) and surrender it at birth.

There are two types of surrogacy.  In ‘partial surrogacy’ the surrogate mother provides an egg which is fertilised with sperm from the intended father by IUI or IVF.  In ‘full surrogacy’ (also known as ‘host’ or ‘IVF’ surrogacy) the surrogate mother has no genetic link with the child she carries.  The embryos are usually created from the eggs and sperm of the intended parents, but sometimes donated eggs or sperm are used from anonymous donors to create the embryos for replacement into the host.

Who might benefit from surrogacy?

Any woman who is physically unable to carry a child could benefit from surrogacy.  A variety of causes account for this - hysterectomy, repeated miscarriages, repeated failure of embryos to implant, or serious medical problems so that a pregnancy would entail a serious health risk for her.

Who should make decisions during and after pregnancy?

Ideally, a joint decision should be reached between the surrogate mother and the intended parents, but there may be times when their views will conflict.  It should be clear to everyone involved that the surrogate mother, with the advice of health professionals, will make the final decisions.  The type of decision might include termination of pregnancy for foetal abnormalities, or the preferred method of delivery.

After the delivery, provided the child has been passed to the intended parents, the responsibility for decision-making should also pass to them.

In this guide

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