Affordable Surrogacy in India

The cost of surrogacy in India is less than half the cost in developed countries such as the US, the UK and Canada. This affordability has made India the destination of preference among        childless couples who wish to complete their families. Surrogacy in Eastern Europe and India is on the rise, primarily because of favorable laws and low costs.

What is Surrogacy?

Surrogacy is a type of assisted reproduction arrangement in which a substitute mother or surrogate carries a baby to term. After delivery, the surrogate hands over the baby to the intended parents. A gestational surrogacy is one in which both the egg and sperm are donated by the intending couple. The surrogate has no genetic link to the baby in gestational surrogate arrangements. If a surrogacy is carried out in exchange for financial remuneration, it is known as a commercial surrogacy. The arrangement for womb for rent where money is not a consideration is known as an altruistic surrogacy.

Surrogacy in India

Despite the low cost of surrogacy in India, medical tourists are offered quality health care at state-of-the-art surrogacy centers in India. These centers are manned by surrogacy doctors who are highly qualified and experienced. The low cost of living in India implies that medical expenses, accommodation, transportation, and food are cheaply available. Surrogate mothers in India are available at a low price as well.

Hospitals in India

Hospitals in India follow stringent criteria when it comes to screening surrogate mothers. Ideal mothers are generally between 21 and 35 years of age. They are married and have at least one child prior to the surrogacy. They must be of sound physical and mental health and should be willing to sign legal documents. These documents ensure that the child is handed over to the commissioning parents after birth. Many surrogacy centers offer packages that include costs for lab tests, surrogacy fees, medical fees, pregnancy and delivery costs, IVF process costs and legal expenses. Such packages make sure that the commissioning parents are fully aware of the expected cost of the surrogacy. The packages also ascertain that the cost doesn’t escalate once the process begins.

A paper called “Surrogacy and India” written by Smith Chandra and published in the Social Science Research Network on February 16, 2011 states that India is the only country that has legalized commercial surrogacy. Despite the low cost of surrogacy in India, the arrangements have a high success rate. Moreover, since the law governing surrogacy is lax in India, gay couples and singles who want a child can visit the country to acquire a newborn.