Surrogate motherhood and sharp reactions go hand-in-hand. But actor Aamir Khan and his wife Kiran Rao opting for IVF-surrogacy has paved the way for more such couples to come forward and realise their dreams of parenthood. DNA explores
Many people with health complications are opting for this procedure nowadays
Surrogacy is a safe medium to have a child. It is as good as having a normal child for any woman. The surrogate mother might have some complications, but those are similar to that of a normal pregnancy. We allow surrogate mothers only for those women who either have health problems, or cannot carry a baby due to medical complications.
This facility is allowed only if the pregnancy is hazardous for the baby or the mother. Many people with health complications are opting for this procedure nowadays. As doctors, we choose only young and healthy women as surrogates. This reduces complications during the pregnancy and the delivery.
—Sunita Tandulwadkar, IVF Head, Ruby Hall Clinic
Though the trend is changing, more awareness on IVF, surrogacy needed
The concept of In vitro fertilisation (IVF) or surrogacy has been around for more than 15 years now. But the people, who sought such services, were usually foreigners or same sex couples. Very few Indians were aware that such services even exist in India.
However, there has been a change in the trend in the last 5 to 7 years. Now, I can say that there are about four enquiries for such services every month, out of which at least two come in to avail of the services. Previously, the awareness about surrogacy was not wide-spread. But with the advent of media and the Internet, people are coming to know about such services and are asking for them. There is a need to spread more awareness about procedures like IVF and surrogacy, so that couples who are actually in need of such services can contact fertility centres.
—Dr Shehbaaz Daruwala, director, Pune Fertility Centre, Shivajinagar
With the help of professional agencies, we have not faced any difficulty so far
My wife and I were aware of the concept of surrogacy and in-vitro fertilisation, so it was not new to us. As there are professional agencies helping couples at every step, the entire procedure has been quite easy so far. These agencies made everything clear to us, especially about the medical and legal aspects. We have not faced any complications so far. My wife and I have decided that our surrogate mother will stay with us throughout the nine months of her pregnancy. We want to ensure that she lives a healthy life, and does not strain herself by doing too much, as it could be harmful for the baby. In fact, she will move in with us next week, and we are very excited. The procedure has cost us around Rs6 lakh.
—Identity withheld on request
Legal and medical issues should be sorted before initiating the process
Anyone who is looking to avail of surrogate services or providing such services should first go to a doctor and undergo proper medical tests.
Secondly, consulting a lawyer is very important, as all the transparency issues, such as: the marital status of the couple seeking to have a baby through surrogacy or the surrogate, medical tests, compensation and whether the surrogate is informed about the surrogacy and is ready for it, should be cleared before initiating the procedure.
Once that is done, a legal document of the service is made, as to who would be the legal parents of the child; all the documents and affidavits have to be in place. There is no law in India regarding surrogacy as of yet, but the government is very serious about it, and all the medical centres in India follow the rules laid down by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
Normally, a surrogate mother is paid between Rs2.5 lakh and Rs3.5 lakh per fertile pregnancy.
—Amit Karkhanis, advocate
Despite being a govt employee, I was able to afford the treatment
We found out about surrogacy from a weekly magazine. Since we were having problems conceiving a child, we decided to go for surrogacy using in-vitro fertilisation treatment. I have always been a believer in science, and we did not hesitate to try this out. We had to consult a lot of doctors and visit many hospitals. It was proving to be expensive everywhere.
However, we were lucky enough to find extremely co-operative doctors at the Pune Fertility Centre, who helped us at every step.
Despite being a government employee, I was able to afford the treatment. I did not even have to apply for a loan for the treatment. We are thankful, as we were successful in the very first attempt. In October, the surrogate mother gave birth to twins - a boy and a girl.
The entire process was not traumatic at all. In fact, the doctors helped us stay relaxed through the process.
—Identity withheld on request
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