Surrogacy Australia Conversations

Surrogacy Legal issues with lawyer Kate Cherry. Kate has a passion for family law, having worked almost exclusively in the area since entering the legal profession in 2000 and thereafter to the High Court of Australia. If you’d like to arrange your own session with Kate, you can find her on her firm’s website,   cherrylaw.com.au These podcasts were recorded as part of the free webinar series run b...

Sarah and her partner Matthew, from Canberra, became parents to their daughter (Summer) in November 2022. Summer was carried by Kathryn, who was a friend of a friend, and was also created using the eggs from Sarah's sister. It was a very long journey to parenthood with 22 failed embryo transfers all up and 3 years trying to get pregnant with their surrogate Kathryn over 8 transfers. These podc...

Jess and husband, Scott, live in South West Sydney with their 2 daughters and she has birthed 2 girls as a surrogate, Firth in April 2022 and Logan in September 2025. The two dads, Ryan and Adam, who live in the Blue Mountains, used eggs from Ryan's sister Rhiannon. It is through Rhiannon that this connection was made, as she and Jess went to school together. In terms of being a surrogate, Jes...

Alannah and husband Jayden from regional Victoria, became parents to their daughter (Phoenix) in December 2022. Phoenix was carried by surrogate Tara, Alannah's best friend, and was also created using donor eggs from Alannah's sister, Angela. It was a very long journey to parenthood due to a rare form of non-HVP cervical cancer. Tara had both hyperemesis gravidarum and pelvic instability i...

The current process is the surrogate, and her partner if she has one, goes down on the first birth certificate as birth parent(s). The reason for this is so the parentage can be transferred from her to the IPs, the Intended Parents who are now parents. Check out the full episode show notes: https://www.surrogacyaustralia.org/podcast/episode-155-are-your-names-on-the-birth-certificate Looking to fi...

Aaron and Jake from Adelaide became parents to baby boy Xavier in December 2019 when their surrogate, and now life long friend, Amber, birthed as a Traditional Surrogate (her egg). Aaron is passionate about sharing their journey as 2 dads, supporting others who are the beginning of their surrogacy journey, and was also a Parent Mentor for SASS. They now live in Brisbane.  These podcasts were recor...

Marlena and her wife, Merrin, live in Newcastle with their 2 young sons and she birthed little boy, Ezra, as a surrogate in August 2025. She met her IPs (Intended Parents) Jamie and Kody through our Surrogacy Australia Monthly Zoom Catch Ups, of which they are all regulars. Marlena was initially dating some IPs prior to the ones she carried for, so it took around 3 years from when she went looking...

This series of episodes springs from my work with SASS (Surrogacy Australia’s Support Service). When Intended Parents (IPs) have completed their profile and are in the pool of IPs waiting to connect with a surrogate, I do monthly check-ins to make sure they’re still active and waiting. I like to give some guidance and support along the way because the waiting game can be hard. This series of episo...

Kody and his husband Jamie from Melbourne, became dads to their son Ezra in August 2025. Their surrogate, Marlena, lives with her wife and two sons in Newcastle. Their team connected through our Surrogacy Australia Monthly Zoom Catch Ups - so surrogacy with strangers really does happen. Their egg donor, Shannon, was also previously a stranger that they met through Egg Donation Australia. Kody and...

Felicity from Canberra became mum to Jackson in June 2017 and then Harper in April 2020. They were carried by their now life long friend Kristy via gestational surrogacy arrangements in the USA. Felicity suffered from infertility, miscarriage and the loss of her baby daughter Lily, before eventually needing surrogacy. Flick, as most of us know her by, has been active in the Australian surrogacy co...

Hear from Dr Glenn Sterling (IVF Specialist and founder of Life Fertility) when he was co-host on our webinar series. ❤️ How are the eggs collected from my donor? 🧡 How are the embryos made and genetically tested? 💛 What tests will the surrogate need? 💚 How is a surrogate's menstrual cycle tracked prior to embryo transfer? 💙 Can a surrogate have a natural cycle instead of medicated? 💜 Wha...

Brie birthed as a surrogate in Brisbane in February 2025 for her brother Brendan and his wife Laura. They had a little boy, Mason, and the journey was a long distance one with the IPs living in Penrith, NSW. Brie lives with her husband and 3 children and she has connected with many other surrogates through in person catch ups and the online communities. These podcasts were recorded as part of the...

This question is relevant for both IPs (Intended Parents) and surrogates.  For IPs - basically you need to not have a uterus (be a same sex male couple, or a single man, or were born without a uterus, or have had a hysterectomy), or have confirmation from a specialist that carrying a pregnancy is too great a risk to yourself or the baby.  For surrogates - basically you need to be fit and healthy e...

Michelle and her husband Jono have 2 sons through surrogacy, born 5 weeks apart. Michelle's mum, Jasmina, at the age of 52, birthed Hugo in December 2022, and Jono's sister, Sophie, mother of 3 herself, birthed Spencer in January 2023. Michelle needed a surrogate due to being born with a unicornuate uterus (half a uterus) and had unfortunately birthed angel baby, Ralph, at 18 weeks which n...

Deb and her husband, from Canberra, became parents to their daughter (Hannah) in December 2019. Hannah was carried by Rachel, who is the wife of Deb's brother, and they live in QLD. They have two older boys through fostering but it was a very long journey to parenthood with 3 stillbirths, miscarriages and a previous surrogate. You can hear from Deb’s surrogate, Rachel, in the previous next epi...

Rachel birthed as a surrogate in Cairns in December 2019. She carried for her husband's sister and brother in law who lived in Canberra at the time, and they had a little girl, Hannah. Rachel has been an active member of the surrogacy community and you can hear from the mum she carried for, Deb, in the next episode. These podcasts were recorded as part of the free webinar series run by Surroga...

When Cheyne and Chris, from QLD, decided to start their family, friend and former neighbour Laura stepped up with an incredible offer to carry their child. While she originally offered to be a traditional surrogate, a close friend joined the journey as an egg donor, allowing the couple to create embryos using both of their DNA. ​In late 2025, their son was welcomed into the world by their "vi...

Laura birthed as a surrogate on the Sunshine Coast in August 2025 for a couple who were previously her neighbours 10 years ago. They had a little boy, and his dads are Cheyne and Chris who also live in QLD. Laura is a member of the Surrogacy Australia Board, has hosted our Zoom monthly catch ups and advocates for surrogacy at every chance she gets! These podcasts were recorded as part of the free...

This episode is a recording from a presentation that I (Anna McKie) gave at the annual Growing Families conference in June 2021, in Brisbane. How do I find a surrogate in Australia? The answer is  TIME 🕰 An investment of time 🗣 into talking about surrogacy among your friends and family. And An investment of time ❤️ into the surrogacy village and into building friendships. For more ideas like what...

This series of episodes springs from my work with SASS (Surrogacy Australia’s Support Service). When Intended Parents (IPs) have completed their profile and are in the pool of IPs waiting to connect with a surrogate, I do monthly check-ins to make sure they’re still active and waiting. I like to give some guidance and support along the way because the waiting game can be hard. This series of episo...

Anna and husband, Sam, live in Brisbane with their 2 young daughters and she birthed little girl, Amelia, as a surrogate in February 2025. She met her IPs (Intended Parents) Hannah and Toby through a QLD facebook group and offered to be their traditional surrogate - meaning it was her egg. These podcasts were recorded as part of the free webinar series run by Surrogacy Australia. If you would like...

Hannah and her husband Toby became parents to their daughter, Amelia, in February 2025. Their surrogate, Anna, previously a stranger was their traditional surrogate (meaning it was also her egg). Hannah needed an egg donor due to having Mosaic Turner Syndrome and then also a surrogate due to her endometrial lining not thickening. They pursued a surrogacy journey in Canada so it has been a long roa...

Will and David became parents through Australian altruistic surrogacy when Megan (David's cousin) carried and birthed their little boy, Harrison, in December 2021. It took 3 previous embryo transfers for this 4th one to stick, with the egg coming from their generous friend Karla. Will is passionate about discussing his journey as an LGBTQ parent through surrogacy and to bring hope to others to...

Megan was a surrogate for Will and David and they previously knew each other with Megan and David being cousins. Throw in a lot of love and time, a supportive husband of Megan's, and this team has a recipe for success. It took 3 previous embryo transfers for this 4th one to stick, with the egg coming from their generous friend Karla. After a long labour that didn't go completely to plan, s...

⚠️ This episode is different and is very important to me 💜 This episode was written as a blog post and then recorded in May 2021, which was about 7 months after the birth of my surrobub Baker, and I wrote it as reflection on my postnatal depression. By speaking my truth, it was as though I shone a light into that corner, and it wasn’t dark anymore. I felt lighter, not ruled by my past from when I...