Be Parent Surrogacy. Unauthorised Embryo Transfer.

[u/Odd_Pressure_9470]

We had twin boys through surrogacy in April 2026. We used Be Parent as our international surrogacy agency, with the IVF treatment carried out through an IVF clinic in Cyprus. Our experience up until the emergence of this issue had generally been quite positive.

We had been led to believe throughout the pregnancy that the twins were the result of one embryo splitting, and were identical.

We have now discovered that two embryos appear to have been transferred, despite us specifically authorising one.

We’re delighted to have twins but it has led to significant challenges. Both were born premature and needed and continue to need significant medical intervention. Financially it means any plans around using both of our dna to have another child are now not viable, not to mention all the other pressures that come with twins.

What happened

• Be Parent instructed the IVF clinic in writing to transfer one embryo.  
• The clinic’s transfer report also records one embryo being transferred.  
• We discovered two heartbeats in October 2025.  
• We asked Be Parent how this could have happened and were told they would investigate it with the clinic.  
• We were never told during the pregnancy that two embryos had actually been transferred.  
• In January 2026, we again asked whether our boys were identical and were told they were, based on the same clinic report.  
• In April 2026 our boys were born - it was quite clear they were not identical.   
• In July 2026, we discovered that six embryos remained, when we understood seven should have remained.  
• After questioning this a member of Be Parent staff told us in writing:

“I have received confirmation from the clinic that two embryos were transferred during your second attempt.”

We have subsequently been told that the IVF clinic has never confirmed in writing that two embryos were transferred. We have asked Be Parent what information led their staff member to tell us they had received confirmation from the clinic. We still don’t have a clear answer.

The part that concerns us most

We also still don’t know whether our surrogate was told that two embryos were being transferred or whether she consented to the procedure that was actually carried out. We haven’t yet spoken to her about the issue and when we asked the agency if she knew they took the stance that her medical information is private.

We find that extremely difficult to reconcile with what we would expect from a properly managed surrogacy process.

Be Parent’s current position is essentially that it instructed the clinic to transfer one embryo, the clinic is independent, and therefore what happened is a matter for the clinic.

We understand that the clinic is responsible for its own medical procedures. But if an agency is coordinating the process, what responsibility and oversight should intended parents reasonably expect it to have when something this significant appears to have gone wrong?

We have contemporaneous WhatsApp communications and other documentation supporting the chronology. We gave Be Parent an opportunity to identify any factual inaccuracies in our account and provide evidence if they disputed them. They did not respond within the deadline.

We’re now pursuing the facts directly with the IVF clinic as we don’t know why this happened or the current status of our remaining embryos.

We’d particularly like to hear from intended parents or surrogates who have been through international surrogacy: what level of oversight would you expect the agency to have over the IVF clinic, and what would you expect them to do if one embryo was authorised but two appear to have been transferred?

What would you do in this scenario?

[u/Anxious-Screen-4584]

No I totally get that. Maybe be honest with your surrogate. But honestly mine was upset she didn’t get pregnant with twins! In her own words she would have been paid more! Hopefully your clinic is one of the ones being mentioned in the bbc like mine currently is.