A mother of two who is offering herself as a surrogate for the seventh time at the age of 50 for a same-sex couple, has said she “knows it’s going to be hard because (she’s) older” but thinks nine months of her life is “nothing” when she can give parents “a lifetime of happiness”. Dawn Allen, a surrogate applications and agreement co-ordinator for Surrogacy UK, offered to become a surrogate for the first time at the age of 36 after being inspired by a documentary over 20 years ago.
Dawn has had three surrogate babies and three unsuccessful attempts, one of which ended in miscarriage, but all of her births have been “moments that will stick with (her) forever”. She was unsure if she was going to do it again until she met a friendly couple, Nicky Spence, 39, an operatic tenor and broadcaster, and Dylan Perez, 33, a classical pianist, through Surrogacy UK.
Dawn, from Derbyshire, makes sure her husband is on board with the surrogacies and bonds with the intended parents, as he is “as much a part of this as (she is)”, and has to “support” her through the pregnancy. She is not too worried about her age affecting her likelihood of becoming pregnant and has said she “wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t feel physically able” but is aware that the birth could be the hardest yet.
