Shared Motherhood / Reciprocal IVF London Experiences

[JennyA1984]

Hello Everyone.

Myself and partner (2 females) are looking into Reciprocal IVF (Shared Motherhood) and are researching London/Surrey-based clinics.

Most clinics seem to charge £150-£200 for an initial consultation, but we're not sure how to chose between them without being able to speak with them first.

Does anyone have any positive (or not so positive) experiences of Shared Motherhood they can share?

We're currently looking at Create Wimbledon, CRGH (London) and New Life in Epsom.

Any advice/opinions would be gratefully received :)

My wife and I didn't do reciprocal IVF, just standard IVF with donor sperm, but I can strongly recommend The London Women's Clinic at London Bridge. They do a lot of reciprocal IVF (I used to read their magazines in the waiting room!) and seem to have very good success rates.

As you say partner, not wife, I just want to make sure you know that the non-birth mother will have to adopt the child in order to be considered the legal parent (even if she is the biological mother!). If you're married, both mums can automatically go on the birth certificate and have shared parental responsibility from birth.

Is that true? Don't the HEFA regulations avoid that?

Oh, I've just checked and I'm wrong! Both of you can go on the birth certificate as long as you register the birth together.

Apologies for the incorrect information- this was definitely the case a few years ago, but the rules have obviously changed since then!

No, it's not about registering the birth, it's about the HEFA consent during IVF.

But back to the OP i would chose the clinic that is easier to get to and communicate with (i switched clinics locally as the 1st one would only talk by phone and i kept missing calls at work and they missed me calling them back etc)