India and Surrogates

Years ago when I married my husband I knew without a doubt children wasn't in our future. If I wanted kids I couldn't be with him. He had a vasectomy when he was 20 and was electrocuted when he was 26. So I threw away the birth control and started my life with him. Because he has a daughter from his first marriage I am a grandmother, Nathan will be one in October. My stepdaughter suffers from polycystic ovary disease, so getting pregnant  with Nathan was a fluke. She was told she couldnt conceive. The baby is the joy to her life and I can't imagine life without him. If she hadn't conceived on her own she would of remained childless.

When we married assisted reproduction (IVF, surrogacy and artificial insemination) was rather new and expensive, it still is. I can see why married couples (straight or gay) and single men/women wanting to start families go to India. The sad reality is without this option many of these people will be childless. Sure women can do IVF and artificial insemination in our country but it's not guaranteed to work not including the cost is much more than India. Women can spend year after frustrating year trying to conceive the conventional way or with help before going abroad. Things aren't so easy for same sex couples.

Some couples make several trips to India to try for a child using their own eggs , donor eggs and eventually a surrogate. Gay couples provide their semen utilizing both egg donors and surrogates. Because of the change in laws surrogacy will slow in India for single and same sex couples.

The money paid to a surrogate to carry a child for someone else is almost equal to 9-10 years salary for them. The money can be used to buy a home or provide an education for their own children. Their sacrifice of less than a year improved their own family and improved the lives of strangers on the other side of the world.

The worst things I've found so far is some fertility Drs implant 4 fertilized blastocyst in the surrogate to increase the chances for the Impending parents and having to reduce higher multiples. Or terminate the pregnancy if a genetic defect is present in the fetus. Terminating the pregnancy or reduction is sometimes done for the health of the surrogate.

SCI and other organizations have been providing families with their children.