what is Surrogacy | surrogacy in India - Medicover Fertility

Surrogacy is a type of arrangement wherein an agreement is made between the intended
parents and a woman who will be the gestational carrier. The woman herein
is called a surrogate. In this arrangement, the surrogate carries the pregnancy to full
term and delivers the baby for the intended parents. And the baby born will be
genetically linked to them(intended parents). People usually seek a surrogacy
arrangement when pregnancy is medically impossible or
when a pregnancy is high risk and presents an unwanted danger to the mother's health

 

WHAT IS IVF WITH SURROGACY?

IVF with surrogacy uses a third party “gestational surrogate” to carry the pregnancy when a patient is unable to carry a baby to term herself. In gestational surrogacy, the embryo created by In vitro fertilisation is transferred to the uterus of the surrogate mother, resulting in pregnancy.

In 2016 Lok Sabha had passed the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, which ensures protection of women's rights and help families who do not have children to have their own biological child. It states that married Indian couples are eligible for surrogacy if at least one of them is facing infertility problems. An infertility certificate needs to be provided by the intending couple within 90 days.

The bill also states that the intending couple must be Indian citizens and married for at least five years with at least one of the spouses being infertile. The surrogate mother has to be a close relative who has been married and has had a child of her own. No payment other than reasonable medical expenses can be made to the surrogate mother.

WHO OPTS FOR SURROGACY?

Surrogacy is required for women who have medical problems that leave them unable to conceive or carry a pregnancy. The reasons why a couple might choose surrogacy to conceive are:

  • Uterine anomaly - Women or couples who choose surrogacy often do so because they are unable to conceive due to a missing or abnormal uterus. This may be due to an inherent condition or uterine defect that makes conception of a child difficult or makes it difficult for a child to be carried to term.
  • Uterine Fibroids - A fibroid uterus, and intrauterine adhesions are also the reasons which may necessitate surrogacy for childbirth. As they can sometimes change the shape of the uterus or even create problems in the cervix.
  • Recurrent miscarriages – Women who have experienced multiple pregnancy losses might opt for surrogacy if the medical condition suggest so.
  • Multiple IVF failure – This may be another reason why surrogacy might be recommended to a couple.
  • Cervical incompetence–Surrogacy may be recommended to women who are diagnosed with cervical incompetence that is their uterus cannot hold onto a pregnancy.
  • Other medical conditions – Some medical conditions though may not affect a woman’s physical ability to bear children but can impact her ability to carry a healthy child to term. Chronic ailments like heart disease, kidney disease, severe diabetes, hypothyroidism, hypertension can turn pregnancy into a life-threatening condition for both mother and child.