Fertility Indian Surrogates

Surrogacy Clinics in India — a New Twist on Outsourcing

By Brian Cole

Published on February 01, 2008

A growing number of infertile couples from the U.S., Britain, and other Western counties are finding that the path to parenthood leads them to Asia. These couples are not seeking to adopt, however. In a controversial combination of biology and international commerce, Indian women are acting as surrogates - carrying the biological babies of foreign couples - at cut-rate prices.

Surrogacy utilizes in-vitro fertilization. Through this treatment, couples who are unable to conceive, but are able to donate egg and sperm samples, can have a child with their genetic traits. In a practice known sometimes as "rent-a-womb," "outsourced pregnancy," and even "baby farming," the surrogate gives birth to a child to which she has no biological connection.

In a twist on the recent trend of outsourcing work to India, clinics are connecting couples with Indian surrogates at a fraction of the cost of domestic surrogacy services. When compared to the typical $80,000 cost of surrogacy in the U.S., for example, the less-than-$10,000 fee typically paid for surrogacy services in India is nominal.

The Epicenter of International Commercial Surrogacy

Dr. Nayna Patel has turned Anand, which has traditionally been the milk capital of India, into the world center of international commercial surrogacy. In India, surrogacy is now a $445-million-a-year business, and growing.

Couples from around the world are now traveling to India, where, with the help of intermediaries like Dr. Patel, ready and willing surrogates await. By acting as a surrogate, an Indian woman can expect to earn roughly ten-to-fifteen times her family's annual income.

The Women of Ananda

With a small clinic in Kaival Hospital in Ananda, Dr. Patel not only matches infertile couples with local women, but provides all other services related to the surrogacy as well.

Each couple typically makes two trips to India during the process; once for the in-vitro fertilization and another for the actual birth.

The surrogates Dr. Patel works with live together in a house rented by the clinic. Here, women are cared for by a former surrogate, receive visits from family and friends, and obtain what is reportedly excellent prenatal care. They also receive counseling after the birth to address the potential trauma of handing over the baby to the parents.

Parent and Surrogate Requirements

Indeed, the complex psychological factors that surround carrying - and connecting to - a child pose a real danger when it comes to surrogacy, even though the child has no genetic relationship with the surrogate. To help minimize the psychological impact of parting with the baby that had been growing in her womb, each surrogate at Dr. Patel's clinic must have children of her own to go home to.

In an attempt to protect the interests of all parties involved, a contract is signed by both the surrogate and the parents. This contract states that the couple will cover all medical expenses in addition to the surrogate's payment, and the baby will be handed over to the parents after birth.

Criticisms of International Surrogacy

While Dr. Patel sees this practice as a win-win scenario, others view it is as an exploitation of women through global inequalities. Such critics contend that it should be the focus of the worldwide community to foster equality and increased education for woman in developing countries, not to create a surrogacy industry that exposes woman to the risks of pregnancy for financial gain.

Dr. Patel contends that, because surrogacy allows infertile couples to have a child, and surrogates are provided with enormous financial rewards, her practice is performing a vital service to all involved. Indeed, bringing the joy of parenthood to an infertile couple is a strong, if often secondary, motivation for many Indian women who choose to act as surrogates.

Banned

With France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and a number of U.S. states banning commercial surrogacy within their borders, the practice has its share of detractors. "The human body is not lent out, is not rented out, is not sold," France's highest court held when it outlawed commercial surrogacy in the early nineties.

"It comes down to questions of voluntariness and risk," said Dr. John Lantos of the Center for Practical Bioethics in Kansas City, Missouri. For Dr. Lantos and others, the financial gains offered by commercial surrogacy, along with the poverty of rural India, lure many women to put their health at risk.

Safety for the Surrogate and Child

With the sparsity of adequate health care in India, especially in rural areas, Indian women tend to be at higher risk of complications during pregnancy than those in more developed countries. When it comes to commercial surrogates, however, this does not seem to be the case.

Many supporters of commercial surrogacy point to the quality of care provided at Dr. Patel's clinic and similar facilities as evidence that surrogates are putting their health less at risk than the average pregnant woman in India. In fact, most of these clinics are able to provide - with help from an influx of Western currency - top-notch care.

Lingering Questions

While the benefits of surrogacy may be evident, questions still remain. 

Stories of surrogacy in the Unites States and other Western countries are not typically framed in the context of the poorest of citizens acting as surrogates out of financial desperation. Often, a family member or friend offers to be a surrogate for a couple in response to their not being able to conceive. It is hard to imagine these couples going to clinics in poor rural areas, or on the streets of inner cities, in search of a surrogate.

This is where the ethical line starts to blur. Are couples who use an Indian surrogate to have a child living out their dreams and helping a poor Indian family? Or are those seeking surrogacy in India taking part in something that they would consider immoral if it were happening just down the road? There are no easy answers to these questions, of course. However, for many couples, the joy of finally having a child of their own makes these questions purely academic.

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Keyword Tags: getting pregnant, ivf, female infertility

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Comments

1

i want to become a surrogate mother.can i?whats the procedure?

deepika
about 1 year ago

2

It is very clear that surrogacy in India is booming. According to this site http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0403/p01s04-wosc.html in India, the number of surrogate mothers giving birth is estimated to be about 100 to 150 per year. The low currency rate compared with US & UK and the legally accepted rules can give way to a boom in surrogacy in India. Indians have a great commitment in handing over the newborn to the biological parents immediately after the birth. Anyway it is really appreciable that lots of infertile couple’s seek India for their dream to come true.

Hope this helps: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,319106,00.html
M.Maheswari.RN
www.proactivefamilysolutions.com

Maheswari
about 1 year ago

3

I need lot of details regarding surrogacy, whom to contact in bangalore? can anyone help.

Meena
about 1 year ago

4

hi, we are looking for surrogate mother in bangalore.... can someone give lead

ashish
about 1 year ago

5

hi,please help me to become surrogate mother

pragyan
about 1 year ago

6

We are a couple who had one child who died and cannot have another withot a surrogate due to a radical hysterectomy. We need and are seeking a surrogate in India and to purchase Indian eggs.

Russel Brearley
about 1 year ago

7

where can I find a surrogate mother in India,

Tina
about 1 year ago

8

I am looking for a surrogate in Bangalore - ASAP

Sophia
about 1 year ago

9

I AM LOOKING FOR A SURROGATE TO CARRY A CHILD FOR ME AND MY HUSBAND.DUE TO MEDICAL REASONS MY DOCTOR TOLD ME MY BEST CHANCES FOR BECOMING A MOTHER WOULD BE TO ADOPT OR SURROGACY . SO I WOULD LIKE TO FIND OUT WHICH STEPS I NEED TO TAKE TO START THE PROCEDURE OF BECOMING A MOTHER

TANYA EVERETT
about 1 year ago

10

I have had a hysterectomy where my ovaries were left can I still produce eggs for a surrogate to carry? Thanks

michelle
about 1 year ago

11

due to a medical problem i dont produce eggs i am looking ofr some advice bout surrogate procdure cost and the legality of it all

catherien
about 1 year ago

12

I AM UNMARRIED MALE 30 YEARS OLD. I DO NOT INTEND TO GET MARRIED. BUT WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A CHILD TO BE MY LEGAL HEIR.............CAN THIS BE POSSIBLE

MADHU
about 1 year ago

13

The first and only Surrogacy Agency in India.
Please visit our site to get surrogates / egg donors in India.

Surrogacy India
about 1 year ago

14

I had four unsuccesful pregnancies , Iam 46 now , looking for an indian surrogate mother , also to purchase dnor eggs with the use of my husband's sperms.

nora
about 1 year ago

15

I have had a hysterectomy and my oaveries where left. I was wondering if they still produce eggs to where I can have a surrogate can carry a child for me and my husband. We want to have one of my eggs combined with his sperm, but don't know if I still produce eggs of my own. Is this possible?

Jen
about 1 year ago

16

Hi,i want to know the name and place of medical institutions in india specially Mumbai offering surrogacy services.

arif
about 1 year ago

17

I am 34yrs of age. I have been married for 10 yrs . We have no kids. My husband has Azoospermia& I have blocked tubes . Is there any hope for us. Can I become a serogate mother & can the eggs & sperms be taken from my own family? How much will the procedure cost & Where can it be done? Can U help?

Zoya
about 1 year ago

18

Me and my husband are looking for a surrogate. Can you help us?

Ria
10 months ago

19

I am looking for surrogate mothers in Bangalore

Diva
10 months ago

20

Karen
My husband & I have had 5 failed in-vitro cycles, I have endometriosis & have had my fallopian tubes removed due to an infection. Our embryos are good quality and we would now love to find a Gestational Surrogate. We live in Canada (where surrogacy is illegal) so would love to find a surrogate in India.

Karen
9 months ago

21

I am a 31year old female who had have an emergency hysterectomy. I can not produce eggs. My boyfriend and I are wanting to have a child of our really bad but are not sure of the cost and legal issues that come a long with this can you please help us.

Stephanie
9 months ago

22

I am desperately in need of a surrogate to help my husband and I have a child of our own. Please contact me.

Nicky
8 months ago

23

due to other medical conditons i dont want to conceive..i and my husband want to donate eggs and sperm.is it possible we get a surrogate mother who can rent her womb with our eggs and sperm??

priya
8 months ago

24

Hi, Dr. Patel I have two Daughters. But next Baby I want a Boy. With Test Tube I like to make sure I am going to have Baby Boy. Can you tell me How much it will cost for this.

Sumi
8 months ago

25

Hello,

I live in Australia. I have had 9 failed IVF attempts. My fallopian tubes are blocked. People who disagree with surrogacy are ignorant. I don't mean this in a harsh way. One can not even imagine what a couple goes through during an IVF cycle and what it is like to deal with infertility. If you have been in this situation only then do you understand the human kindness in this whole process. I have wanted children and would have them if I could naturally, but these are the cards that I got dealt. It is unfair for another person to dictate to another who can not have children, that there is no option for surrogacy. It betters all the lives involved. Of course, it is the responsibility of the couple to find a clinic that is professional and to look into the background of the clinic/doctors involved. To ensure that this is a legitamate clinic that is treating the women with respect and dignity and ensuring that this is strictly voluntary. I hope that my message will help people understand the emotional rollercoaster infertility is. I often tell people, infertility is like cancer, you really don't know what it is like unless you have it. You have to walk through someones shoes before you can judge them.

Kelly
8 months ago

26

I am interested in finding surrogate mother preferrable low fee and in the USA. I have been through two failed IVF.

Ruthie
8 months ago

27

My name is Sue and I live in Australia. My husband and I have had about 12 ivf attempts over 7 years, including donor eggs and embryos with no success. For a couple of reasons we cannot do adoption and we are desperate to have a child. I have seen and read some stuff on Surrogacy in India and was wondering if there is also a chance for egg donation there as well. We do not care what colour, nationality a child would be, we just want a child to love. It would be great if someone out there could help us.

Suz-anne Nash
7 months ago

28

i m interested in finding a surrogate mother from india. would liketo know all the required information and cost involving in this proceedure. please send your correspondents to my e mail. thanks.

Gayani
6 months ago

29

Hi, Dr. Patel I am a 16 year old girl in United States. I was recently diagnosed with mullerrian agenesis. Though I do not want children at my age, I have always wanted children. However, I do not have the money to spend on a surrogate in the United States. Could you help me??

Sarena
6 months ago

30

Hello Dr. Patel! My husband and I are 35 and due to a blood disorder cannot carry a baby to term. We have very healthy eggs, ovaries and sperm, but my body is unable to carry the fetus. We would like to become a patient of yours! Please contact me via my email provided. Thank you!

Renee
6 months ago

31

Hi dr patel. i have had 7 miscarriages and am looking for a surrogate in india. i can be reached at

kenya
5 months ago

32

Hi Sir,

I am Unmarried, male, 30 years old. I don't want to get married, but I would like to have a child with the help of a surrogate mother. Can you please let me know the legal issues and cost involved and possibilities etc., Also please let me know the clinics for the same in Bangalore or Hyderabad.

Thanks in advance,
Suresh.

Suresh
3 months ago

33

Can you please help. I need alot of details regarding surrogacy, whom to contact in Bangalore ( India)? can anyone help.

Thanks.
Kelvin.

Kelvin
2 months ago

34

Dear Dr. Patel,
I have had several iui's and 8 ivf's and even tried donor eggs with no success. You are your last hope. We have 3 embryos left and would like to know how we get the process started on hiring a surrogate and how we can get our embryos to India. Thank you

Susan
2 months ago

35

I am a married 34 year old, 3.5 year breast cancer survivor. Due to chemotherapy, I am now unable to produce high quality eggs or become pregnant (due to hormones). I would like more information on Indian surogacy agencies, fees, procedures, etc. We would like to use my husbands sperm but would need an egg donor. Thanks.

Melissa
2 months ago

36

Im a 22 year old male and want a child with no intentionz of getting married.
How do i go about getting a someone to carry a child for me?

Mogomotsi Headbush
about 1 month ago

37

I am 25 years old due to surgery i am unable to carry child i want a sarrogate who could carry a child for us. and what is cost for this .

kshama
18 days ago

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