How to choose the right clinic for Surrogacy?

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National Surrogacy Week takes place from the 2nd to the 8th August in the UK, and this year the theme is Surrogacy Choices. We wanted to bring a collection of blogs to you this week to highlight some of the fundamentals when choosing a clinic, a lawyer, or even the benefits of an organisation vs. the independent sector. I approached one of the partner clinics to help us understand what to look for when choosing a clinic for surrogacy. Don’t panic; we’ve got first hand of this clinic with our own journey – so this isn’t written with massive bias from the clinic, however its an accurate article about what to look for. As always an informative piece, written by Craig from CRGH in London

Written by Craig Paton, CRGH & Michael Johnson-Ellis from TwoDadsUK / My Surrogacy Journey

Where to start?

Choosing the right clinic for any fertility treatment can be difficult; is it best to look at success rates, or pricing? Is it best to be governed by location, or reviews? When it comes to deciding which is the best clinic for your surrogacy treatment, that decision can become even more complicated. In recent years there’s been something of a revolution in the surrogacy sector in the UK; more clinics are offering the service now than ever before – although frustratingly that can make the decision more difficult rather than easier. Thankfully, organisations like TwoDadsUK and MySurrogacyJourney exist to help those considering surrogacy treatment navigate the myriad of options and find the clinic which is best suited to them. As a clinic which partners with both of those organisations to ensure our surrogacy programme is as successful as it can possibly be, The Centre for Reproductive and Genetic Health wanted to share some advice on choosing the right clinic for your Surrogacy Treatment.

Recommendations and Reviews

It goes without saying that most clinics’ websites will tell you that they’re the best option for you. While websites can be really helpful for understanding more about the treatment pathways on offer, it can be difficult to get a genuine, impartial ‘feel’ for the clinic. That’s where recommendations and reviews are so helpful; an opportunity for you to get a real life insight into each clinics’ strengths and weaknesses from someone who’s been through the process themselves. By looking at a clinic’s reviews on Google, for example, you can then filter for keywords like “surrogacy” to see reviews relevant to your intended treatment type. Websites like Doctify are also helpful for providing verified reviews for individual consultants.

The very best recommendation is one from someone you know personally. A friend, colleague or family member who can tell you about their personal experience in detail will have a better idea of what might (and might not) suit your needs. That said, not everyone has that option available to them. That’s where organisations like TwoDadsUK and MySurrogacyJourney are so helpful; the founders of these groups have not only been through surrogacy treatment themselves, they are also uniquely placed to work hand-in-hand with intended parents currently going through that journey – giving them an insight into the service on offer from each clinic. As well as being extremely knowledgeable, these organisations are also incredibly friendly and happy to help. The Centre for Reproductive and Genetic Health are proud to have been recommended for surrogacy treatment by both TwoDadsUK and MySurrogacyJourney for several years.

Getting to know the clinic

Hopefully reviews and recommendations have helped you to create a shortlist of clinics, perhaps 2 or 3, which seem worthy of further exploration. Once you’ve got that short list the best next step is to spend a little bit of time getting to know each one. Reviews and recommendations are excellent, but the feeling you get from each clinic in this short list phase is perhaps even more useful.

At CRGH we offer Open Evenings every two weeks – they’re currently conducted virtually, and give you the opportunity to listen to a doctor and embryologist and ask questions. We also offer free Mini-Consultations which are a really valuable resource for patients deciding which clinic is the best one for them; it gives you the opportunity to speak with a doctor one-to-one and ask about your specific circumstances. Most clinics will offer something similar and it really is worth investing some time up front to decide on your clinic before you start investing both emotionally and financially during treatment itself.

As well as the very important information about treatment types, success rates and pricing, at this point you should also be judging clinics in ways which are more difficult to quantify. How did your interactions make you feel? Did everything run to time? Did you feel understood? It’s elements like these which ultimately distinguish an average clinic from a great one and ensure your journey will be as easy and stress-free as possible.

Behind the scenes: Teams, Facilities and Partnerships

One important factor to explore when choosing your clinic is the way in which Surrogacy treatment is handled internally. The best clinics will have a dedicated Surrogacy team who are experienced in answering the unique questions and challenges which are part of the surrogacy journey. At CRGH we have a dedicated team of Consultants, Nurses and Admin coordinators who’s sole responsibility it is to ensure your surrogacy treatment is as smooth as possible.

Similarly, it’s important to understand more about the partnerships each clinic has which are relevant to your treatment type. For example – at The Centre for Reproductive and Genetic Health we have our own Egg Bank and Egg Donation programme, meaning we’re able to match intended parents to donor eggs more quickly than other clinics. The same is true of Counsellors – CRGH has its own team of counsellors meaning you can have your mandatory counselling in a timely, convenient way.

In addition to these in-house facilities and teams, it’s also worth understanding how each clinic works with external organisations which may become part of your journey. The best clinics will have close working relationships with the likes of SurrogacyUK, MySurrogacyJourney and similar organisations, including Donor Egg banks. The broader this network, the smoother the process will be during treatment.

Hopefully these tips have helped outline the best way to find the right clinic for your Surrogacy treatment. While the options are many and it can sometimes feel confusing, there’s now a wealth of information and organisations created specifically to help navigate these early stages. All being well you will soon be in the position to offer reviews, recommendations and advice of your own.