Guides/Updated
Meet somewhere public and busy first, and tell a friend where you are. Share recent screening results both ways, each get your own independent legal advice, and put what you agree in writing before going ahead. Never pay or accept payment, and go at your own pace: you can slow down, say no or walk away at any point.
This is general information to help you ask good questions. It is not medical or legal advice, and it cannot take your own situation into account. For that, speak to a doctor, a fertility clinic or a family lawyer where you live.
Meet in public first
Meet somewhere public and busy the first time, and the next few times too. Tell a friend who you are meeting, where, and when you expect to be back.
Keep your home and work addresses to yourself until you know the person well, and arrange your own way there and back.
Get tested, and ask to see results
Before going ahead, many people ask a doctor or a fertility clinic which screening makes sense for their situation, and share recent results with each other directly.
It is reasonable to ask to see results, and reasonable to be asked. Someone who refuses, or whose story changes, is a reason to pause.
Get independent legal advice, and put it in writing
Who the law treats as a parent, and what rights and duties follow, depends on where you live and on how conception happens. The rules are not the same everywhere, and they are often not what people expect. Each person should speak to their own family lawyer, one who is not also advising the other person.
Talk through involvement, contact, expenses, screening, method and what the child will be told, and write down what you both agree before going ahead, not after.
Never pay, never accept payment
If someone asks for money, gifts or favours for sperm, eggs or surrogacy, or offers them to you, report them. Never send money, bank details or identity documents to someone you met online.
Go at your own pace
Nobody is owed a yes. You can change your mind about a person, a method or a timeline whenever you need to. If you feel unsafe, block the person. If you are in danger, contact your local emergency services.
How Pedigree helps
- Every member accepts the known-and-unpaid pledge when they join. Nobody is listed, priced or sold.
- Report reasons include "Asking for or offering payment" and "Pressure about how to conceive".
- The green Verified pill shows a member completed identity verification.
- Health and screening details on a profile are written by the member. Pedigree does not check them, and they are never shown as verified.
- Near You shows areas and member ranges, never anyone's exact location.
Questions people ask
- Where should a first meeting happen?
- Somewhere public and busy, with your own way there and back, and a friend who knows who you are meeting, where, and when you expect to be back.
- Does a Verified pill mean someone is safe?
- No. It means the member completed identity verification, so the person in the photos is the person holding the account. It says nothing about health, fertility, screening results, character or intentions.
- What should I do if someone asks me for money?
- Do not send anything, and report them with the reason "Asking for or offering payment". Pedigree is known and unpaid, and every member pledges to that when they join.