SURROGACY TREATMENT

Surrogacy by assisted conception should normally be considered only for patients for whom it would be physically or medically impossible/ undesirable to carry a baby to term.

Common reasons to choose surrogacy are     

1) Absent uterus (either by birth or removed surgically), Small or abnormal uterus

2) Repeated implantation failure or Repeated miscarriages

3) Any risk to life associated with pregnancy like heart disease

Payments to surrogate mothers should cover all genuine expenses associated with the pregnancy. Documentary evidence of the financial arrangement for surrogacy must be available.

The ART centre shall not be involved in this monetary aspect.

The role of the ART clinic is mainly to provide medical services.

The responsibility of finding a surrogate mother, through advertisement or otherwise, should rest with the couple or a semen bank.

A child born through surrogacy must be adopted by the genetic (biological) parents.

A surrogate mother should not be over 45 years of age.

A relative, a known person, as well as a person unknown to the couple may act as a surrogate mother for the couple. In the case of a relative acting as a surrogate, the relative should belong to the same generation as the women desiring the surrogate.

A prospective surrogate mother must be tested for HIV and shown to be seronegative for this virus just before embryo transfer.

No woman may act as a surrogate more than thrice in her lifetime.

The couple is not obliged to provide the information to which the child has a right, on their own to the child when he/ she reaches the age of 18, but no attempt must be made by the couple to hide this information from the child should an occasion arise when this issue becomes important for the child.

The ART clinic shall not be a party to any commercial element in donor programmes or in gestational surrogacy.

A surrogate mother carrying a child biologically unrelated to her must register as a patient in her own name. While registering she must mention that she is a surrogate mother and provide all the necessary information about the genetic parents such as names, addresses, etc.

Baby's DNA will only come from the egg donor / commissioning mother and the sperm provider. Baby born by using surrogacy will not share any genetic information from the surrogate mother.

The process of finding surrogate requires time and careful consideration. It may take few months to find a suitable surrogate mother. Once the surrogate is finalized both the parties need to sign a contract and settle financial aspects. The intending couple also is required to sign the consent forms for willingness to undergo surrogacy program.

Doctor and the centre will not be responsible for any mutual contract, financial, travel, stay and accommodation issues of the donor.