Surrogacy in India, Far from the Troubling Questions

Surrogacy in India, Far from the Troubling 

It has been a long time now when India started emerging as a new place for surrogacy. In last few years, a lot of water has been flown under the bridge and the overall situation of surrogacy market has been improved immensely. There are infertility clinics like International Fertility Centre; New Delhi that works on the total treatment of infertility and surrogacy is an integral part of it. Dr. Rita Bakshi who heads the organization with a vast experience of more than 20 years and thousands of successful cases vigilantly looks into every case. She ensures the legal and ethical aspects are taken care of and there is nothing that violates the law of the land. There had been many troubling questions and actual incidents in the past to support the criticism and objections by social activists, doctors and journalists. The situation has improved a lot and the industry has attained a great level of maturity and the troubling questions are no more. The major issues or objections that used to exist in the past have been resolved and with the combined efforts of doctors, social activists and government it has become much clear and clean process. 

  1. Ethical 1issue: The fundamental reason of increase of surrogacy industry is certainly the big money associated with it. In a country like India where lower middle class or labourers are struggling hard to earn Rs 200-300 per day an amount of few lakhs is certainly a pulling factor. Unethical practices were prevailing where either the couple was not used to provide adequate or whatever was promised to them.

a)    There used to be agents and middlemen working as a racket to bring poor surrogate mothers with false promises of huge money and later washing their hands by paying peanuts. The ethical clinics like IFC works on the total transparency and there is a direct dealing with the intended parents and surrogate mother.

b)   There were cases when foreign couples were made with false promises of surrogacy and then handing over a baby to them that is not genetically connected at all. Some pre-fertilized eggs were used to make the pregnancy happen. These cases came into light when the respective countries denied passport to the baby because there law didn’t allow. 

c)    There were many cases reported in the past where illegal business of human organ transplantation was being carried out in the name of surrogacy. Poor surrogate women or their husbands were forced to give kidney or other organs with a remuneration of few bucks. Government has made many changes in the law and legislature related to surrogacy to prevent such cases. Surrogacy clinics have to follow stringent norms and have to keep track of every case they are handling. Dr. Rita Bakshi and her team at IFC accept every case with thorough investigation and scrutiny process and ensure that total transparency is maintained.

d)   There used to be least botheration about the total welfare of the surrogate mothers. They were left unattended during the surrogate pregnancy, had to live in extremely unhygienic and unbearable conditions, there was hardly any care take n regarding her physical and mental health. Critics termed it as ‘complete exploitation of the basic rights of a woman’. The situation has improved a lot in the last few years and clinics are taking care of the physical and emotional aspects as well as social security. IFC ensures that the surrogate mothers are covered under insurance, they live in completely hygienic and best of the living condition, there is continuous monitoring of the physical health, and counselling and emotional support is provided to the surrogate mothers. Not only the surrogate mothers, but their family members and own kids are also well supported.

e)  There was a big question raised by the social activists regarding the fundamental concept of ‘lending a womb’ for surrogacy. However, there has been a clear stand by the supports and even surrogate mothers regarding its validity and relevance. In a country where a big number of people are living under poverty line, there is complete uncertainty of wages and employment, no social security and assurance by the government and high dependency on rains for harvesting there are tough times for the poor. The situation becomes worse with the unexpected or accidental death of earning member in a family that depends on agriculture. The widow and her children have no moral and financial support. Surrogate pregnancy has become a great help to a lot of such women and they have been able to raise their own children with good living standard. Ethical infertility clinics like International Fertility Centre works on this with extreme attention and they ensure that surrogate woman gets the best return for her efforts in carrying a surrogate pregnancy.

   2. Legal issues: There had been a lot of legal issues in the past because of ignorance, carelessness or unethical practices of surrogacy clinics. The law has been made stringent now and there are hardly such cases get reported.

a)      There had been cases where surrogacy was carried out for gays and lesbian couples from foreign origin. The legal documents were denied to the baby because of restriction of such relationship in the Indian constitution. Norms regarding surrogate pregnancy are now much clear and explanatory to avoid such complications.

b)   There were few cases in the past when unexpected death of one or both intended parents occurred during the surrogate pregnancy. Also there were some cases when divorce happened between the intended parents during surrogate pregnancy and later there was nobody ready to accept the surrogate child. This situation resulted in the unpleasant scenario of handing over the baby to orphan homes. Indian government has issued guidelines regarding all aspects of surrogacy and now the chances of such cases are very less. IFC takes care by consulting legal experts before going for surrogate pregnancy and take all the required help from them.

There had been a great criticism to surrogacy in the past and truly there were cases happening to support this fact. However, government, social reformers, media and surrogacy clinics have taken joint efforts to correct the situation and now it is a much clean and clear process that helps to bring the happiness of parenthood to a childless couple. Foreign and Indian couples find it as a great way to solve the problem of being childless for the entire life. With the ethical and legal practice of more and more clinics like International Fertility Centre the situation would improve further. India is going to emerge as the place for surrogacy, a win-win situation for intended couples and surrogate mother!

Infertility Treatments

Types of infertility treatment

There is certainly nothing more painful (believe it, not even the labour pains) than working hard to get pregnant, but not getting the success. There are thousands of couples worldwide that are trying their level best to experience the ultimate pleasure of parenthood. There are many aspects of infertility that become a great hurdle in this path. A doctor like Dr. Rita Bakshi of International Fertility Centre has been working in this area from last many years and treated many such cases successfully. There are multiple aspects of infertility and so are the solution methods. The type and nature of fertility decides what solution path to select.

There are some cases where the problem does exist in the male partner where in some cases it lies in the female. The ratio is almost equal and doctors decide the infertility treatment after a detailed analysis of the case. All the methods discussed below are purely to get a baby with genetic connection of male and female partners and the mother that gives birth is also the genetic mother. Options like surrogacy, egg or sperm donation are not included where either the genetic connection is partial or the mother that carries out the pregnancy is a third party.

1. In Vitro Fertilization (IVF): Doctors select this method when male and female are able to produce healthy egg and sperm, but the uterus does not have favourable conditions for fertilization. The sperm and egg are taken out and fertilized in the laboratory. The term 'Vitro' means 'glass' that has a reference to the glass plate or tube in the laboratory. Fertilized egg is transplanted in mother's womb to achieve pregnancy.
    
2. Sub-Zone Insemination (SUZI): This is a method of IVF takes place in the laboratory, but doctors inject selected sperms directly to the egg so that fertilization happens. Typically a case where sperm count is very low, this method is used.
    
3. Micro-Insemination Sperm Transfer (MIST): This method is similar to SUZI, but in this case the sperm is directly deposited in the shell of the egg.
    
4. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI): this method is again similar to MIST, the only difference is a single healthy sperm is treated and then inserted directly to the egg. The natural fertilization process is not followed.
    
5. Gamete intra-fallopian transfer (GIFT): This is one of the older and popular techniques where sperm and eggs are mixed outside the womb and then inserted into fallopian tube. They travel to the uterus in the 'natural' manner and then pregnancy occurs as if it has been happened in the normal method. Less cost has made it quite a popular.
    
6. Zygote intra-fallopian transfer (ZIFT): This is similar to the GIFT technique, but in this case the Zygote is transplanted, not the mixture of eggs and sperms.
    
7. Micro-epididymal sperm aspiration (MESA): This technique is used in case of male infertility and sperms are extracted from epididymis. After extracting the sperms, ICSI technique is used.
    
8. Testicular sperm extraction (TESE): This method is again for the treatment of male infertility and it is similar to MESA. In this case, sperm is collected from testes, not from epididymis.

Clinics like International Fertility Centre works on providing the total solution of infertility and thousands of parents have got benefitted from the expert advice of Dr. Rita Bakshi and her team.

Cause and Cure of Unexplained Infertility

Unexplained infertility: What is it?

The treatment of infertility is very complex and there are many cases where the exact reason of infertility is unknown. Although some people claim it as high as 10 to 15 percent of the total cases, but experts have difference of opinion. Doctors say that it is highly depends on the accuracy and sophistication of the tests. If the testing has been done with extreme care and the most advanced tools and even after that the reason is undefined then it might be considered a case of unexplained infertility. Every year, there are few cases reported to the clinics like International Fertility Centre and an expert like Dr. Rita Bakshi has to take it as a challenge. The most complex cases are those without no clear root cause and mixed symptoms.

What is unexplained infertility?

A couple comes to the infertility clinic with a problem of failure in getting pregnant. The doctors normally perform all the basic tests to understand what is causing it? To their surprise, all the basic tests come out to be negative. The sperm count is OK, the sperm quality is perfect, the ovulation is normal, no structural problems in the female reproduction system, no cysts or fibrosis in the uterus. In spite of all that, the female is unable to conceive. Doctors perform few advance tests to investigate it further, but nothing comes out. This is a typical case of unexplained infertility.

What all may cause 

Although the exact reasons are not known because doctors would have found the solution in that case, but there are some broad assumption around it.

1. Deformity in the eggs: There might be some deformity in the structure or automatic triggering system of the eggs causing problems in the fertilization. The eggs get produced in the follicle and then get 'burst'. In case they are not able to break the corpus by bursting, the fertilization becomes impossible.
2. Hormonal problems: The series of different hormone secretion is responsible for making the uterus ready to receive the egg from the ovaries. In case this delicate balance gets disturbed, there is no proper environment in the uterus for the egg to get fertilized.
3. Defects in the immune system: There are few cases where due to defects in the immune system, body starts production of antibodies that attack on the sperm or the egg. This happens both in the male and female. In case of the males, these antibodies make the sperms inactive or dead. In case of the female, they create a coating on the egg and thus make the penetration of the sperm impossible.
4. Emotional disturbance and psychological factors: Although there has been no strong correlation established between the emotional effect on the infertility, doctors do not rule out the fact. Extreme mental pressure, trauma, war or natural calamities affect the potency and fertility adversely. Individual cases may also get affected by mental reasons where all physical parameters are normal, but pregnancy is not achieved.

Is the treatment possible?

Not all, but few cases of unexplained infertility can be cured successfully and a clinic like International Fertility Centre has the record of such cases under the guidance of Dr. Rita Bakshi. The extreme dedication and sincere efforts by the doctors and equal amount of support and willingness from the patients is required to get the breakthrough!

Surrogacy: The Better Alternative For Adoption

Surrogacy: the better alternative for adoption Introduction

Adoption has always been considered a noble cause and people do not see it as a solution for infertility, but it is seen as a gesture towards serving the humanity. It is a deed to provide home, education and good quality life to a child that has been deprived of it by default. Nobody can deny about the greatness of this act. However, the idea of selecting it as an answer to the problem of infertility is not much comfortable for a few couples because of some valid reasons. There are some cases of infertility where people feel that adoption is the only option, but in reality surrogacy can be chosen as a much better alternative.

 

The challenges of being childless

Every couple has dreams about a pleasant and successful married life and getting blessed with a baby is certainly an integral part of it. Most of the couples are able to fulfil their dreams and start the family very easily. However, there are a few those are not so fortunate and do not get success in spite of trying for few months or even years. Time keeps on flying, but no success. The feeling of being childless is really frustrating and the couple start getting stressed as every year passes. There are challenges from everywhere. Society puts various question marks, colleagues and relatives pass remarks, the couple feels de-motivated and worthless and there is no charm in the life. The situation becomes worse when the couple visits to doctor and after thorough investigation, infertility is diagnosed. Dr. Rita Bakshi terms it as a 'nasty punch' and it takes significant amount of time to recover from the initial shock. However, the situation is not that gloomy and pessimistic; there are many methods to achieve pregnancy. Experts suggest the best suitable method according to individual need. Among various options available, surrogacy is suggested to the couples by infertility clinics like International Fertility Centre.

 

When surrogacy is suggested?

There are various causes of infertility and every couple is affected by a different one. The solution is also therefore different. In a few cases, the intended mother is perfectly capable of producing healthy eggs and there is no problem in the transfer process of eggs from ovaries to the uterus. However, there are fundamental problems in the uterus because of that there is not a healthy environment for the pregnancy in the uterus. The fertilized egg could not get attached with the inner lining of the uterus and hence pregnancy does not occur. There are few cases where the embryo is able to attach with the inner lining, but the lining is not thick enough to hold it for a longer time. Abnormal termination occurs after some time naturally or doctors have to do that because of improper and inadequate growth of the embryo. There is only one option left in front of the couple and that is, surrogacy!

Doctors convince to the couple regarding surrogacy because there are multiple advantages.

1.   The couple would be able to have a baby with 100% genetic connection with both parents. The only difference is, it gets developed in some other womb.
2. The possibility of pregnancy in the genetic mother's womb is almost nil and as the attempts gets failed, it becomes feebler.
3. The surrogate mother gets proper monetary compensation thereby improving the social and economical condition of her family and her own kids. It is a turning point in surrogate woman's life. Reliable and responsible clinics like IFC make sure that the surrogate mother gets sufficient reward for her efforts.

How is it better than adoption?

Although people praise adoption greatly and consider it as the biggest noble act. However, there are many advantages of surrogacy over adoption.

1.  The 100% genetic connection between the intended parents and the baby relieves from all the worries of unwanted or unknown traits in the baby.
2. The couple feels more closely attached and emotionally related to the baby because she is 'their own child'.
3. The social responsibility and helping gesture can be very well achieved because here the surrogate mother and her family is getting benefited by the handsome money paid as remuneration for surrogacy. She is able to achieve higher social status, elevate the standard of living and provide well opportunities to her own family.
4. Infertility clinics like International Fertility Centre works on the complete development of the surrogate mother and counsel her, groom her and develop her into a more aware and educated female.

 

The process of surrogacy

 
Process of surrogacy is a detailed one and requires systematic and methodical working.

• Once the need of surrogacy is stated and agreed with the intended couple, clinics like IFC start the  process of searching an appropriate surrogate mother. There are many registered with the clinics and the best suitable with the intended couple is selected.
• The contract papers are signed among the three parties involved. Help of legal advisors is taken to make it smooth, foolproof and according to the law of the land. All the aspects of medical procedure claim and legitimate parent rights, remuneration method and money involved and insurance and social security are defined clearly and unambiguously.
• Counsellors and social workers take multiple sessions with the surrogate mother and explains about minimum emotional and mental involvement to avoid hand-over trauma.
• Logistics arrangements like lodging/boarding arrangements for the surrogate mother and intended couples.
• Preparation for the complex medical procedures and processes to carry out the surrogate pregnancy.
• External fertilization in the laboratory takes place after collection of matured eggs and male sperm from the intended couple. Surrogate mother is prepared for the pregnancy and the embryo is implanted in the surrogate mother's womb. Pregnancy is observed carefully for some time and then declared as successful.
•  g)  Infertility clinics take care of the surrogate mothers during entire pregnancy period. Proper arrangement of shelter, food, medical check-up and mental and emotional support are arranged by the infertility clinic. Intended parents can have regular interaction and information about the development and other aspects of the pregnancy.

The process of surrogacy is suggested to a childless couple where the baby can't be borne by the natural manner. The couple has to be convinced about the authenticity and reliability of the process. At the same time, welfare of the surrogate mother also has to be taken care of properly. Surrogacy has a few distinct advantages over adoption and with the help of expert doctors like Dr. Rita Bakshi and the state-of-the-art clinics like International Fertility Centre, this option can be a life-changing experience for intended parents as well as surrogate mother and her family!