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Reciprocal IVF, also known as shared motherhood is an increasingly popular option at Thérapie Fertility. It affords same sex female couples the opportunity to share the physical experience of pregnancy.
The process involves one of the partners providing the eggs to be used in an IVF cycle with donor sperm, while the other partner will carry the pregnancy when the embryos are transferred back into her uterus.
Reciprocal IVF is a unique treatment for same sex female couples – where one will donate eggs and the other will become pregnant. It is also suitable for those with trans partners.
Under the care of our team, the partner giving the eggs is given fertility medications, mainly in the form of injections to stimulate her ovaries to produce multiple follicles. Follicles are the small fluid filled structures within the ovaries, each of which will hopefully contain an egg.
The number and size of the developing follicles is measured by trans-vaginal ultrasound scans. The exact number of follicles which develop varies greatly between patients. One of the purposes of testing is to give you and us an idea in advance of how many follicles and eggs may develop.
The final preparation for egg retrieval involves a hormone injection which mimics the natural trigger for ovulation. Egg retrieval will take place 36 hours after this injection.
Egg retrieval is a minor theatre procedure which is carried out in the clinic under sedation.
A trans-vaginal ultrasound probe is used and a needle attached to the probe is carefully passed through the vaginal wall into the ovaries and follicles.
The ovarian fluid within each follicle is aspirated and then examined in the IVF laboratory by the embryologist for the presence of an egg. After identification, the eggs are washed and transferred into a special culture in an incubator.
While the egg retrieval is happening, your chosen donor sperm sample is prepared for use. In the laboratory, a concentrated preparation of the best motile sperm is extracted from the semen sample. This sperm preparation (containing approximately 150,000 sperm) is added to the dishes containing the eggs, and they are incubated together overnight.
On the morning after egg retrieval, the eggs are examined to see which have fertilised. Fertilised eggs (zygotes) are cultured in the IVF laboratory until day 5 or 6, the blastocyst stage, at which point they are frozen to await transfer to the other partner.
Under the care of our team, the partner having the embryo transfer will be given oral or injectable fertility medications to stimulate her body to thicken the lining of her uterus.
The development of the uterine lining will be measured by trans-vaginal ultrasound scans. Once the desired thickness is reached, the embryo transfer will be scheduled.
The frozen embryo transfer (FET) is a simple theatre procedure that does not usually require anaesthesia.
The embryo(s) are placed back into the uterus by the doctor by way of a small catheter inserted through the cervix. The fluid containing the embryo(s) is pushed through the cervix and into the uterus.
The correct positioning of the embryo(s) is confirmed by abdominal ultrasound, so the partner undergoing the procedure is required to have a full bladder for the procedure.
Under the care of our team, the partner giving the eggs is given fertility medications, mainly in the form of injections to stimulate her ovaries to produce multiple follicles. Follicles are the small fluid filled structures within the ovaries, each of which will hopefully contain an egg.
The number and size of the developing follicles is measured by trans-vaginal ultrasound scans. The exact number of follicles which develop varies greatly between patients. One of the purposes of testing is to give you and us an idea in advance of how many follicles and eggs may develop.
The final preparation for egg retrieval involves a hormone injection which mimics the natural trigger for ovulation. Egg retrieval will take place 36 hours after this injection.
Egg retrieval is a minor theatre procedure which is carried out in the clinic under sedation.
A trans-vaginal ultrasound probe is used and a needle attached to the probe is carefully passed through the vaginal wall into the ovaries and follicles.
The ovarian fluid within each follicle is aspirated and then examined in the IVF laboratory by the embryologist for the presence of an egg. After identification, the eggs are washed and transferred into a special culture in an incubator.
While the egg retrieval is happening, your chosen donor sperm sample is prepared for use. In the laboratory, a concentrated preparation of the best motile sperm is extracted from the semen sample. This sperm preparation (containing approximately 150,000 sperm) is added to the dishes containing the eggs, and they are incubated together overnight.
On the morning after egg retrieval, the eggs are examined to see which have fertilised. Fertilised eggs (zygotes) are cultured in the IVF laboratory until day 5 or 6, the blastocyst stage, at which point they are frozen to await transfer to the other partner.
Under the care of our team, the partner having the embryo transfer will be given oral or injectable fertility medications to stimulate her body to thicken the lining of her uterus.
The development of the uterine lining will be measured by trans-vaginal ultrasound scans. Once the desired thickness is reached, the embryo transfer will be scheduled.
The frozen embryo transfer (FET) is a simple theatre procedure that does not usually require anaesthesia.
The embryo(s) are placed back into the uterus by the doctor by way of a small catheter inserted through the cervix. The fluid containing the embryo(s) is pushed through the cervix and into the uterus.
The correct positioning of the embryo(s) is confirmed by abdominal ultrasound, so the partner undergoing the procedure is required to have a full bladder for the procedure.
The embryos that are created by the process are owned jointly by you as a couple. They can be used by either person for Frozen Embryo Transfer in the future.
Reciprocal IVF is the only treatment whereby a same sex couple can very physically share the process of becoming pregnant. One parent will be the birth parent and the other the genetic parent, giving you both a unique connection to your child.
You may wonder why we choose to do frozen embryo transfers for Reciprocal IVF cycles. The answer is simple. Sometimes it is difficult for us to synchronize the menstrual cycles of both partners, and this puts additional stress on the procedure. If we transfer fresh embryos when the uterine lining is not optimal, we risk losing those embryos. By freezing the embryos before use, we give ourselves the time to reach optimal uterine conditions for the embryo transfer. Additionally, it is best to confirm that there are viable embryos before putting a person on the medications for the Frozen Embryo Transfer cycle.
I recently completed egg freezing at Therapy Fertility Clinic, and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Everything is incredibly well scheduled and organized, with appointment times that are very manageable — especially if you need to come in before work. The team is consistently welcoming, attentive, and genuinely caring. They take the time to check in with you thoughtfully, and their warm, friendly manner — even early in the morning — really helps put you at ease. Results and updates are communicated quickly, and the whole process feels efficient while still being personal and supportive. I’m very grateful for the care I received and would highly recommend the clinic to anyone considering fertility preservation.
Me and my partner went for consultation with Emily back in October as we were between clinics and when we came out after speaking with Emily we knew therapie was the right choice. The process from start to finish has been amazing! We had an amazing round with therapie resulting in a good number of frozen embryos and luckily success with our 1st frozen transfer. Therapie made our dreams of a family a reality. I've spoken so highly of therapie throughout my journey. The care has been amazing and looks forward to continuing building our family over the years hopefully with the clinic. Use are a credit to those who struggle ❤️
We had our beautiful twins with help from Thérapie Fertility. The care and attentiveness they showed us along the way was next to none. They take the approach of evidence based only testing/medications etc which we soon realised was the best approach, for us at least, and involved the least stress, cost, pressure etc. They were the best value for this reason and also the general costs of treatment, which eases the stress of IVF somewhat too. As a queer couple we never felt different, always embraced and we would highly recommend to fellow LGBT couples. We see Thérapie Fertility staff as part of our family, our journey, our past and now, our future.
Thérapie fertility were so patient-centered with my husband and I from the beginning. In an extremely difficult and emotional situation all of the nurses and doctors were always kind, took an interest in our relationship and our son - remembering his name. It was the little things that made us aware that we were in good hands. Everything was at our pace and the staff were incredibly patient in answering our questions - Especially the ones we had already asked five times previously! Thank you to nurse Lisa in Galway, Dr. Megat, Dr. Kennedy and all of the incredible staff for supporting us every step of the way and for making our dream of expanding our family a reality. There will never be any words to thank you alol enough!
I cannot thank the team at Thérapie Fertility Clinic in Carrickmines enough for the exceptional care, support, and professionalism I have received throughout my fertility journey. From the very first appointment, every interaction has been handled with compassion, expertise, and genuine kindness. The clinic’s atmosphere is welcoming, supportive, and reassuring — a place where you truly feel listened to and cared for. The entire team go above and beyond to answer questions, explain procedures clearly, and provide reassurance during what can be an emotionally challenging time. I am incredibly grateful to say that I am now pregnant, and I truly believe the care, guidance, and support I received from this clinic played a huge part in getting me to this point. Even before scans, the reassurance and confidence they gave me has meant everything. A special mention must go to Emily in the Belfast clinic. Her kindness, professionalism, and calming manner made such a difference to my experience. She took the time to explain everything clearly and offered genuine, compassionate support when it was most needed. I would highly recommend Thérapie Fertility Clinic to anyone beginning or continuing their fertility journey. The care, empathy, and dedication shown by the teams in both Carrickmines and Belfast have been outstanding, and I will always be thankful for the role they played in helping us reach this milestone. Danielle & Patrick
From our first consultation in July, Thérapie Fertility Clinic made us feel valued and cared for. As first-time patients we were nervous but we never once felt like we were just another number or there for money. Everything was explained clearly step by step the process was affordable and the team were amazing. We are now 24 weeks pregnant and will always be grateful for the care and support we received.
Sitting here with our 3 week old Thérapie baby, we cannot recommend Thérapie Fertility highly enough. From the very first contact we have felt like we’ve known the team forever. Every procedure & process was explained thoroughly. We have been treated with respect, dignity & empathy, never felt like ‘just a number’. The team are honest & realistic with the expectations & outcomes. They reassured us when we had anxieties about anything throughout our journey. There are no silly questions & the patient portal is a fantastic tool for communicating. We have already put some friends onto Thérapie as they look to start their journey.
Good environment and high-quality service.
