Surrogacy overcomes birth pangs, comes of age in city

Indian Express (Anuradha Mascarenhas) : In the majority of cases, uterus damage owing to tuberculosis, cancer or other diseases is the reason for opting for surrogates.
After 14 years of marriage, and a few miscarriages, life dealt another jolt to a couple when the wife was diagnosed with uterine cancer and had a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus). Their yearning for a child led to an answer; surrogacy. “We had no option but get a child through a surrogate mother,” the IT consultant said. Barely months remain for the surrogate to give birth and the couple is ecstatic. The 40-year-old woman is as careful and anxious as she would have, if the child been in her own womb. “At one point, when the surrogate mother was travelling from Bhuswal to Pune and developed severe contractions, the 40-year-old woman rushed to the city and made telephonic calls to ensure she gets prompt treatment,” said Dr Neena Sathe, who is in charge of the first surrogacy centre in the city at Oyster and Pearl Tulip Hospital. “It is an emotional experience. Our only criterion for selecting a woman for surrogacy was that she should be healthy,” says the 40-year-old woman, who, along with her husband had scanned the internet for surrogacy sites, and consulted lawyers. They still find rules and regulations unclear about surrogacy. “Everything does seem vague but we were fortunate that Dr Amita Phadnis, Director, ONP, Hospital offered us guidance,” they said, requesting anonymity. For yet another couple in their mid-40s, a medical condition called sagital venous thromobosis ( a blood clot in brain) dashed their hope of having their own child.   “My wife suffers from this condition and doctors have clearly told us any move to bear a child would prove detrimental to her health. How can I take such a risk? Adoption rules are getting stringent and since we wanted our own baby we decided to opt for surrogacy,” the 42-year-old employee of an IT firm said. “Today, our baby is two-and-a-half and we are so happy. Of course the nine months of pregnancy were ridden with anxiety as we often wondered whether the surrogate mother was taking adequate care of our baby,” he said.   For the 24-year-old surrogate mother- she has been separated from her husband, has two daughters and is a Class IV employee at a private hospital - the opportunity to earn Rs 3-4 lakh was the factor she agreed. “Kya karun, main majboor hoon. Mere ghar ke halath acche nahi hain aur dono betiya ke liya kuch paise jamane hain. (I am helpless. My financial condition is not good and I have to save money for my daughters),” the surrogate mother said.   “There is a contract we sign and the only request I made was to see the child I have delivered,” she said. “I have no connection with this couple now. I will continue with my work. My mother is aware of what I have done but in the last five months I moved to another room and stayed on my own,” she added. Dr Amita Phadnis, Director of ONP Hospital, said they have conducted three surrogacy deliveries and six more are in the pipeline. “We still have 14 on the waiting list,” she said.   “In the majority of cases, uterus damage owing to tuberculosis, cancer or other diseases is the reason for opting for surrogates. Most couples do not want to adopt children who are four or five years old from agencies and want to raise their own babies,” she added. Usually, a financial transaction of Rs 3-4 lakh is worked out which is given in instalments, she said. Surrogacy: What it takes   Surrogacy is an arrangement where a woman carries and delivers a child for another couple. Costs involve surrogate planning, registry, surrogate screening tests, and administrative and legal costs. The procedures involve IVF cycle and embryo transfer, pregnancy care, tests and monitoring, delivery, baby care and post-delivery legal procedures.   There is a legal expert on board and the entire process is transparent and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines are followed. The surrogate is treated as a family member and the team at the hospital takes care of her during pregnancy and after delivery. Counselling sessions are conducted to establish close ties between the parents and the surrogate.