Finding an egg donor for surrogacy

Surrogacy is when a woman becomes pregnant, carries and gives birth to a baby for another individual or couple. This may be due to infertility or medical history, or because the couple is same-sex male. In this instance, surrogacy is a way of having a child that is genetically related to one parent. There are two types of surrogacy; gestational surrogacy and partial surrogacy. 

Surrogacy provides the opportunity for male same-sex couples to start a family and have a child from birth. One parent will also be biologically connected to their child and will need to provide their sperm during the process. Some gay couples decide who the father will be based on importance to each individual, or by choosing a different person if they have more than one child. Whereas others choose not to know who the biological father is by both providing their sperm during the process.

Full surrogacy (gestational or host surrogacy) is when the surrogate has no genetic link to the baby they carry. The surrogate undergoes an IVF cycle with an embryo created from donor eggs and the sperm from one of the intended parents, or a sperm donor (known as double donation). 

Partial or traditional surrogacy is when the surrogate’s eggs are fertilised using one of the intended parent’s sperm and she undergoes a fertility treatment such as IUI or IVF.

It is important to assess a man’s sperm ahead of surrogacy treatment to ensure that there are no issues that could make pregnancy more difficult. We offer male diagnostics which enable men to test semen from the comfort of home, or at a clinic, and review results with a fertility doctor.

The success rates for surrogacy are dependent on a number of different factors such as the fertility of the surrogate and her ability to conceive, the age and quality of the donor eggs, the success of the fertility treatment (e.g. IVF, IUI, ICSI) and the quality of the sperm. 

Probably the most important factor is the quality of the eggs, and therefore the age of the egg donor. At Apricity our donors are carefully selected to meet the egg donation criteria including age, AMH levels, BMI and fertility. 

The age of the surrogate can be important, as women over 35 face greater risks of complications during pregnancy. 

Same-sex male couples that need donor eggs

Single male or transgender women

Individuals experiencing recurrent miscarriage

Absence or malformation of the womb

Numerous IVF implantation failures

The cost of surrogacy can vary in the UK depending on the clinic and package you choose, as well as whom the surrogate is (whether it be a friend or unknown surrogate). Typically it ranges from £12,000 to £50,000+ including the cost of treatment, legal fees and surrogate expenses.

At Apricity, we provide all-inclusive costs that mean you don’t pay any hidden fees. Starting from £12,300, our embryo creation packages include £750 compensation for your egg donor, plus the fee for the matching process, treatment and frozen embryo storage.

DONOR EGGS: 8-donor eggs from the same donor as personally matched to you.

DONOR TREATMENT: Sedation, Egg Collection.

DONOR CARE: Comprehensive Donor screening, including post-quarantine screening if required. Donor Consultations: Treatment planning doctors consultation, nurse consultation, 1 implications counselling session, 2 supportive counselling sessions with an independent counsellor. All diagnostic and follicle tracking ultrasound scans and hormone monitoring blood tests as required throughout their cycle. All donor stimulation medication.

YOUR TREATMENT: Embryology, blastocyst culture, ICSI if required, freezing of embryos.

CONSULTATIONS: Including 3 supportive counselling sessions session with an independent counsellor.

SCREENING: If applicable, all routine pre-treatment screening tests.

STORAGE: Storage of Embryos for 1 year at the same facility.

ADMINISTRATION: All administration and documentation relating to your care and record keeping for 30 years as per HFEA code of practice.

BESPOKE JOURNEY: Virtual Consultations for your convenience. Flexible blood tests and ultrasound scans at a choice of our 160+ regional facilities (Multiple locations possible based on local availability). Extended hours support. Option for some blood tests to take place at home.

DEDICATED ADVISOR: Fertility Advisor available 7 days a week on extended hours to support you with any queries or questions throughout your journey.

COMPANION APP: Access to Apricity's in-house App to give you control and enable you to keep track of your treatment. Including medication information and reminders, appointment schedule, personalised guidance about your treatment, live chat with Apricity advisor team.

Apricity aims to provide an all-inclusive and transparent upfront agreement. Our packages are designed to include all the required consultations, scans, blood tests, procedures and fees associated with a typical treatment cycle. However there may be less common tests or treatment additions that will be discussed with you if recommended or required.

- Diagnostics tests

- Donor Compensation

- Registration Fee

The following are not considered included in a typical cycle, however may be required or recommended for your own personal situation or at your treating clinic:

- Donor Sperm, external clinic charges, and associated implications counselling

- Time-lapse imaging

- Endometrial Scratching

- Saline Scans and HyCoSy

- Hysteroscopy

- Non-routine tests including but not exclusive to Natural Killer Cells, DNA Fragmentation, PGT-A, CGT, Zika Testing

- Storage of eggs/sperm/embryos after the 1st year

- Medication charged separately