Reciprocal IVF for female same-sex couples

During your fertility health assessment we'll look at both partners' ovarian reserve, age, and overall health, and we'll share all of that with you so you can choose what feels right. Sometimes the clinical picture and eligibility criteria will point clearly in one direction, but we'll always talk it through with you rather than decide for you.

In a standard IVF cycle, a fresh embryo transfer can take place shortly after egg collection because the same person who produced the eggs is also carrying the pregnancy. In reciprocal IVF, that's not the case.

By freezing all suitable embryos first, we can prepare the recipient partner's uterus at the optimal point in her cycle giving the embryo the best possible environment to implant successfully. It also means both partners' treatment can be managed independently, with no need to coordinate timings tightly around egg collection.

Frozen embryo transfer outcomes are well-established and, in many cases, comparable to or better than fresh transfer particularly where endometrial preparation is carefully managed. It's the approach we use because it's the right one for this treatment, not because of any constraint on our end.

All of your embryos are cryopreserved as part of your package. If you'd like to use them in the future - for a second child or a further attempt - we'll walk you through your options and the associated costs when the time feels right. There's no pressure to think about any of that before you're ready.

From your fertility health assessment to embryo transfer, most couples can expect the process to take around three to four months though this varies depending on how your bodies respond to stimulation. We'll give you a clearer picture at your consultation once we have your assessment results.

What we can promise is that we'll keep you in the loop at every stage — no unexplained waiting, no silence between appointments.

Your Kind Reciprocal package includes one vial of donor sperm from London Sperm Bank, the UK's leading HFEA-licensed sperm bank. Through our partnership with LSB, you'll have access to their full donor catalogue - searchable by physical characteristics, education, and personal profiles - with their customer service team available to guide you through the selection process.

We know choosing a sperm donor is one of the biggest decisions you'll make, so you won't be navigating it alone. Our team are happy to answer questions at any stage, and your consultation is a good moment to raise anything you're unsure about.
For patients considering donor sperm treatment without reciprocal IVF, our Kind Donor IVF page has more detail on how the London Sperm Bank partnership works in that context.

Yes - having a child from a previous relationship doesn't affect your eligibility for Kind Reciprocal IVF. What matters is that both partners meet our eligibility criteria at the time of treatment: the donating partner must be 36 or under with a BMI of 30 or less, and the recipient partner must be under 40 with a BMI of 32 or less.

If the partner who has previously had a child will be the one donating eggs, we'd assess their ovarian reserve as part of the fertility health assessment in the usual way. If they'll be the recipient, the same applies. Previous pregnancies - or the absence of them - don't determine eligibility on their own.

If you're unsure how your individual circumstances fit, the fertility health assessment is the right place to start. It gives us the clinical picture we need, and gives you honest guidance on what we'd recommend.

In a practical sense, yes, the donating partner's eggs are used to create the embryo that the other partner carries. But the legal and clinical framework that governs this is different from third-party egg donation, and that distinction matters.

In reciprocal IVF, both partners are treated as the intended parents of the child from the outset. The process is regulated by the HFEA, and both partners will be asked to give formal consent at each stage of treatment covering egg collection, fertilisation, embryo storage, and transfer. This consent process is designed to protect both of you and to ensure your intentions as a couple are clearly recorded.

The child born will have one genetic parent (the donating partner) and one birth parent (the recipient partner). Both partners can be registered as legal parents, provided the consent and legal parenthood forms required by the HFEA are completed correctly before treatment begins.

We'd always recommend taking time to read through the consent documentation carefully and asking any questions you have before you sign. Our team and your assigned consultant are there to walk you through it. For further information on legal parenthood and donor conception, the HFEA website is the most up to date resource.