Wanted: ‘Perfect’ donors for ‘perfect’ babies

A DNA investigation has revealed that an increasing number of infertile affluent couples in Mumbai have begun insisting on a ‘perfect’ female donor whose social profile and physical attributes are closest to them

Looks do matter, at least to affluent Mumbaikars who flock IVF centres looking for female egg donors. Many infertile couples are spending a considerable amount of time hunting for a ‘beautiful’ donor. And they are being assisted in their pursuit by various overzealous IVF clinics that are going all out to cater to the needs of their ever-expanding client base. Doctors not only share the photographs of the donors with anxious parents to confirm physical beauty, they also arrange meetings between the couple and the donor. This despite the fact that the guidelines issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) prohibit disclosure of the donor’s identity to the recipient. 

But this is just the tip of the iceberg. An investigation by DNA into the Assisted Reproductive Therapy (ART) practices at various Mumbai-based IVF  clinics has found that women who donate their eggs to help other women have babies are often cheated, misled and not adequately compensated. This is happening at a time when most doctors agree that female donors are not easy to come by.

However, there is little the law enforcement agencies can do since there is no law regulating the ART clinics in India. As a result, IVF clinics in India have no legal obligation towards various stakeholders — infertile couples, donors and surrogate mothers. The clinics are expected to voluntarily adhere to the ART guidelines issued by the ICMR.

The ministry of health and family welfare, along with the ministry for women and child development, has been working on a legislation to bring the ART clinics under the ambit of the law. Senior officials in the two central ministries say the ART bill may be introduced in the parliament in the next session. However, officials from both the ministries declined to comment on whether the government would be able to pass the legislation before it demits office.

Times have changed
There was a time when IVF clinics depended on ‘agents’ who scouted for healthy fertile women living in slum areas for their eggs. Acting as middlemen between the IVF clinic and the donor, these agents received a hefty commission from both parties and ensured that the donor does not skip the appointments for various check-ups and hormone injections.

Infertile couples no longer rely on middlemen to micro-manage their donor and have become extremely choosy when it comes to selecting a candidate who would donate eggs.

“Things have changed now. Couples want eggs from women whose social profile and physical attributes are closest to them,” says an IVF specialist on the condition of anonymity.

This has lead to a scarcity ‘good’ female donors.  The IVF clinics now play a pro-active role in finding a ‘suitable’ donor for their clients and have begun demanding that their clients shell out Rs 40,000 (average compensation to be paid to the egg donor)  even before being placed on the clinic’s waiting list.

“Clinics demand at least a part of the compensation for the donor as an advance to ensure the clients stay with them. No one wants clients who register at many places for a donor as it causes duplication of demand,” explained a medical professional working with an IVF clinic in Mumbai.

Couples have become choosy
Infertile couples, that receive either eggs or sperms, have always been demanding about the profile of the donor. In the last few years, however, they have become even more adamant. Well-to-do clients sift through pictures of donors looking for the perfect hair or pupil colour.

Says a doctor at one of Mumbai’s leading IVF clinic, “Some parents are very particular about the colour of the eye or hair. They want their child to resemble them as much as possible.” They forget that assisted reproduction has a success rate of just 35%, she adds. “They should hope that they have a baby instead of planning the body and the brains of the child.”

Donors are kept in the dark
Even though affluent couples call the shots and get to select a donor of their choice, donors are kept in the dark about the possible side effects of the ART. “There are no side effects of donating eggs. The side effects are due to the hormonal injections given to a donor to get her body to release more eggs,” says Dr Anjali Malpani, who runs the Malpani Fertility Clinic in Colaba with her husband.

One of the most common side-effect is ovarian hyper-sensitive syndrome that occurs when a donor produces a lot of eggs after being stimulated by a hormonal regime administered by the doctors at the IVF clinics. But, doctors say it can be treated. Most doctors admitted that the syndrome can prove potentially fatal if not treated in time.
Despite this, no clinic in Mumbai has a programme for following-up on the health of the egg donors on a mid to long-term basis.

“A long-term follow-up programme for donors is important and should be implemented,” says Dr Hrishikesh Pai, general secretary, Indian Society of Assisted reproduction.

Recipients hunt for the donor
In a major setback to the ICMR guidelines and the ethical spirit of assisted reproductive therapy, IVF clinics have been encouraging couples to locate donors on their own and settle financial matters independently. Most of the leading IVF specialists in Mumbai accepted doing this. “As of now, it is not illegal to ask a couple to find a donor who may be their relative or a stranger. However, the ICMR guidelines advise against such a practice,” a senior IVF specialist said.

According to the ICMR guidelines, it is the responsibility of the IVF clinics to search for a donor. The guidelines make it clear that under no the condition should the donor’s identity be revealed to the recipient.

‘I felt cheated’
Yamini (name changed), 29, an Andheri-resident, responded to an advertisement in the classified section of a newspaper seeking women who could donate an egg to an infertile couple. The ad mentioned that the donor would be handsomely compensated. A housewife with a three-year-old son, Yamini felt sympathetic towards the childless couple. “Also, I was in need of money and decided to call them,” she says.

Two days later, Yamini accompanied by her husband who works with a courier company visited the IVF clinic in South Mumbai that had placed the ad in the papers on behalf of their client. Eight weeks later, Yamini’s eggs were extracted at the clinic.
But Yamini’s hopes of earning some money were shattered when she was told that her eggs “were not of good quality and therefore unsuitable for donation”. “The clinic told me that since my eggs were of no use to their client, I wouldn’t be paid much. I was paid a mere Rs5,000 for participating,” she said. “I have no way of finding out if my eggs were really bad or if I was taken for a ride. I feel cheated.”
t_mayank@dnaindia.net