About Surrogacy

Surrogacy is when a woman carries a baby for a couple who are unable to conceive or carry a child themselves.  It should never be forgotten that this is an extraordinary act of giving on the part of the surrogate mother and her family – and this should be celebrated.

Usually the intended mother cannot conceive, or carry a child to term, due to a medical problem.  Common reasons why Intended Parents may look at surrogacy are:

• Recurrent miscarriage in spite of all possible treatment
• Repeated failure of IVF treatment
• Premature menopause, often as a result of cancer treatment
• A hysterectomy, or an absent or abnormal uterus

Since April 2010 it has also been possible for same-sex couples to undertake surrogacy in the UK, and Surrogacy UK immediately reflected this in our membership rules.

Surrogacy is legal in the UK, but:

• No third party should be involved on a commercial basis – that is, receive fees for ‘brokering’ a surrogacy relationship.  Surrogacy UK does not broker surrogacy relationships.  Rather, through our boards, IP profiles and events we create opportunities for surrogate mothers to get to know their parents to be
• Advertising for a surrogate is not allowed, nor is advertising to be a surrogate
• The surrogate can only receive payment to cover the expenses that she has incurred in being pregnant for her intended parents

There are two types of surrogacy, ‘straight’ and ‘host’: click here to learn more