June marks PRIDE month and Harley Street Fertility Clinic pride themselves on being a LGBTQ+ friendly clinic. We have helped many same-sex couples have families and continue to do so.
When you and your partner decide the time is right for you to start a family, navigating the world of a same-sex fertility journey can be daunting and overwhelming. From deciding to use donor eggs, sperm or surrogacy to help make your dreams of becoming a family come true, there is a lot to consider and decide upon. You may wonder what your options are and how exactly you go about starting your journey.
What are my options?
Donor Eggs
Whether you’re a cisgender male couple, female couple or trans, you have the option to use a donor egg. UK law does not discriminate and donor eggs are available to all. Here at HSFC, we have our own bank of donor eggs.
Couples can choose to have insemination in the clinic. HSFC has its own donor sperm bank, alternatively you might wish to browse the lists of our carefully curated list of reputable partner banks. We would always recommend proceeding with a registered facility for your donor sperm because this will safeguard you.
Cisgender Male couples will need to use a surrogate to have their baby. Surrogacy is legal in the UK, but it is illegal to advertise for a surrogate. We work with two wonderful agencies: Brilliant Beginnings and Extraordinary Conceptions, who have both helped many couples become parents.
What about the future
UK law states that children created from donor eggs or sperm after 2005 have the right to find out more about their donor when they reach age 16, such as what they looked like. At age 18, they are able to find out their donor’s name, DOB and last known address.
Embarking on any fertility journey, regardless of sexual orientation or gender, can be an emotionally charged, confusing and distressing time. At HSFC, we offer counselling sessions as part of our packages as we believe these are vital in sustaining the mental health and wellbeing of our families.
More about fertility options for same-sex couples from our recorded webinar ‘Fertility Options for Sam-Sex Couples’. Listen to our panel of HSFC experts talk about how we can help you start the family you’ve been dreaming of.
