Medical Tourism in India, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia

Surrogacy – Womb on Rent.

Surrogacy in India is quite popular and has seen a rise in recent times with many foreigners unable to conceive coming to have their child here.  The surrogacy in India is a favourite among the US, UK and few European countries. Reason, Indian surrogate mothers come at one third of the cost compared to the US, UK and other countries.  Other reasons contributing to this, is that the convenience and advanced medical facilities, healthcare facilitators in surrogacy, medical and healthcare faculty.  And surrogacy is on the Medical Tourism tab.  Many cities in India – Mumbai, Ahmadabad, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore and other cities have become hubs in surrogacy.

Renting a womb is becoming common and social taboos surrounding it is becoming a thing of past. Gujarat’s Anand, where surrogacy has international acclaim, other cities too are joining them in the race.  The medical tourism industry in India is approximately around $10 million and almost half of it comes from surrogacy.  This has become a hot favorite for medical tourism facilitators.  Although the cost is around one third in international standards, but many facilitators in the medical tourism industry are gearing up for this.  Surrogates charge anywhere between Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000 for the process and regular upkeep.

The concept of surrogacy is accepted by many and definitely among young couples who want their own child but cannot due to various reasons.  And these are the people who have started understanding that they will still remain the biological parents and only the womb is different.

Why Surrogacy?

Female Infertility:  One of the primary reason being female infertility.  Couples who are unable to conceive and deliver their baby due to female infertility often choose for surrogacy. Women who have uterine problems, or have undergone a hysterectomy, or who have not responded to In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) due to severe cases of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis or other conditions which cause infertility may want to consider surrogacy.  These apart, if the mother has tried fertility assistance without success and if the doctor believes that pregnancy is not possible, under such situations and circumstances the couples may consider surrogacy.

High-Risk Pregnancy:  Women who are more likely to have a high-risk pregnancy may consider surrogacy. If the woman has heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetic, or a history of other conditions which have lead to a previous high-risk pregnancy, or if multiple miscarriages had occurred previously may also consider surrogacy.

Biological Connection: Couples who are unable to have their own child and prefer to have a child that is genetically linked to them.  Full surrogacy, which is a common procedure, is where the surrogate mother is artificially inseminated with the man’s sperm and in this procedure, the father will actually be the baby’s biological father.  And, in gestational surrogacy, the mother’s fertilized eggs are transferred to the surrogate mother through in-vitro-fertilization.  In this procedure of surrogacy, both the intended mother and father will be biological parents to the baby.

Same-Sex Couples:  In instances of homosexual couples who want a family, surrogacy may be the best option available.  Male couples can decide to be the sperm donor; similarly, female couples can opt to use sperm from a donor.  That said, some lesbian couples may also consider using a surrogate mother if they are unable to decide which of them will have the joy of carrying a baby.

Career coming in the way:  Women who are career oriented and travel a lot may not prefer to become pregnant, such women may consider surrogacy.

Be it any reason, surrogacy is a matter of choice and decision to be taken by the couples who want a child.  And once decided to go in for surrogacy, it is important to familiarize with legal, medical, and other significant issues of surrogacy.