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Shared Motherhood at HCA UK
- Supporting you in your pregnancy journey
- The UK's largest private IVF unit
- Before you start your family, visit ours
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Reciprocal IVF at HCA UK
Why choose us?
At HCA UK, we’ve helped same-sex couples have successful pregnancies for more than two decades. Reciprocal IVF offers a wonderful way to share the journey to parenthood. One partner provides the eggs while the other carries the pregnancy, which helps create a truly special bond between both parents and their baby.
Starting or growing your family is an exciting and deeply personal decision. If you're considering reciprocal IVF, rest assured that you are in safe and supportive hands. Our team of fertility specialists can guide you on whose eggs to use, assess your fertility health and select a sperm donor.
Reciprocal IVF, or shared motherhood or intra-partner egg donation as it’s also known, is when one person donates eggs for in vitro fertilisation (IVF), while the other carries the baby during pregnancy. It’s an option for two people with female reproductive organs and requires donor sperm.
Choosing reciprocal IVF means that both people play a vital role in the creation of the child. Both can benefit from either a genetic or biological connection.
At HCA UK, we’re here to support everyone on their journey to parenthood. You’ll have access to a whole team of experts, from consultants, embryologists and sonographers to counsellors and experienced fertility-trained nurse practitioners.
While your fertility journey will be unique to you and your partner, here are some typical steps in the reciprocal IVF procedure:
- One person undergoes a standard IVF cycle. This involves taking hormone injections to stimulate their ovaries and a minor vaginal procedure to collect their eggs.
- The eggs are mixed with donor sperm in a laboratory to allow fertilisation. They’re left to develop for up to five days.
- If the embryo transfer is happening straight away, the second person may need hormone replacement therapy to prepare their womb. The best-quality embryos are selected and transferred to the womb. They will then carry the baby for the duration of the pregnancy.
- Alternatively, you may choose to have some or all of the embryos frozen. They can then be thawed and transferred at a later date when you both feel ready.
If you’re not ready to start a family straight away but want to preserve your fertility, you can also decide to freeze your eggs.
Studies show that reciprocal IVF can be just as successful as IVF which uses your own eggs and may even have higher success rates. This may be because you can choose who is likely to have the best quality eggs and who’s in the best health to carry a pregnancy.
Whether the embryo is transferred straight away or after it’s been frozen and thawed doesn’t seem to impact success. While every journey is unique, we will guide you through factors like age and health to maximise your chances.
As with any fertility treatment, there are important considerations to make, and your consultant will talk you through every step.
22,000+
babies born with us
17
dedicated fertility consultants
35+
years with a history of success
All procedures and treatments
carried out on-site
In-house laboratories
Fully personalised care in
state-of-the-art facilities
The reciprocal IVF process
What to expect
From the moment you step through the door, until the time you’re ready to leave, we want you to feel as comfortable as possible with us, every step of the way.
If you have any questions that aren’t covered here, or in the FAQ section below, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Our team will be happy to help in any way they can.
01
Initial consultation
Your fertility journey will begin with an in-depth conversation so your fertility specialist can review your medical history, discuss your concerns and answer any questions. We’ll talk to you about your treatment options, including the benefits and risks involved in reciprocal IVF.
02
Tests and scans
If you decide that reciprocal IVF is right for you and your partner, your specialist will arrange a series of tests and scans to help determine which partner has the healthiest eggs. This will usually include an ovarian reserve assessment.
03
Follow-up appointment
After your tests and scans, you'll have a follow-up appointment with your fertility specialist to discuss your results. They'll explain the findings clearly to make sure you understand your fertility health and the options available to you.
04
Discuss any steps
Your specialist will outline the next steps and make recommendations based on your unique circumstances. They’ll also discuss options around embryo and egg freezing and be able to answer any questions you have.
Where can I access reciprocal IVF treatment?
Across our extensive network of hospitals and treatment centres, we have dozens of industry-leading fertility experts who can help you, from initial consultation to treatment and next steps.
Lister Fertility Clinic
Chelsea Bridge Road SW1W 8RH London
Lister Fertility Clinic at The Portland Hospital
First Floor 215 Great Portland Street W1W 5PN London
Lister Fertility Clinic at The Beaconsfield Clinic
Little Hall Barn Windsor End, Beaconsfield HP9 2JW Buckinghamshire
Lister Fertility Clinic at The Shard
The Shard Outpatients St Thomas Street SE1 9BS London
Accessing private health care
Self-pay
You don’t need health insurance to be seen quickly. If you’re looking for treatment and don’t want to wait, all of our fertility treatments can be paid for as and when you need them.
And to give you peace of mind from the start, we’ll provide you with a clear and transparent quote outlining exactly what’s included in your self-pay package.
Reciprocal IVF FAQs
You may both wish to have a fertility assessment before you begin treatment. This can help you decide whose eggs to use and who will carry the pregnancy. Our fit for fertility health screening tests can check your ovarian reserve (how many eggs you have). They can also look at whether you are in the best possible health for pregnancy.
We can help you to source donor sperm. Our counselling team will go through the implications of using donor sperm with you, including the anonymity issues. The counselling team are there to offer support throughout your journey.
We can offer advice and reassurance on legal parenthood issues relating to reciprocal IVF. You’re automatically a legal parent if you are the person giving birth to a child. This extends to partners if you’re married or in a civil partnership before you begin treatment.
If you’re not married or in a civil partnership, you’ll both need to consent to legal parenthood before treatment begins. We can help you to understand the legal implications of legal parenthood and work through this together.
While our fertility specialists will try to see you as soon as possible, appointments are generally available within a few weeks. Find a reciprocal IVF specialist to see their next available appointments.
We realise that undergoing any fertility testing and treatment is a personal process, and we want you to feel as comfortable as possible. You can search our fertility specialists, select your consultant and arrange your initial appointment with them.
We know that undertaking fertility treatment can be challenging, and part of that is understanding the potential costs involved. We try hard to ensure our fees are as transparent and simple to understand as possible.
Before you start your treatment, you should receive a clear, costed treatment plan so you begin your journey knowing what your treatment should cost. The cost will depend on your treatment plan, but you can view our price list to gain a clearer understanding.
As required for a clinic that is subject to regular Human Fertilisation and Embryo Authority (HFEA) inspection, the laboratory meets the highest standards for quality, safety and patient care. At HCA UK, we're proud to hold a 5/5 HFEA rating across our fertility clinics.
Our patients' fertility stories
How Lister Fertility Clinic helped two fathers-to-be
Paul is sitting in his home in Belfast, with his husband Neil and their beautiful three-month-old son Felix, talking about their journey to fatherhood – a journey that the Lister Fertility Clinic, part of HCA Healthcare UK, accompanied them on.
Clare’s fertility treatment
Clare and her husband Derek thought they might never have children, until joining the egg-sharing programme at the Lister Fertility Clinic.
Alice and Aaron's fertility treatment
After being told they’d never have children, Alice and Aaron turned to the Lister Fertility Clinic. They now have a beautiful two-year-old daughter.
“Going through IVF and finding an egg donor is so emotional and difficult, but I felt very looked after by Dr Parikh and the great time at The Lister Hospital.”
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This content is intended for general information only and does not replace the need for personal advice from a qualified health professional.