Update: Commercial surrogacy is now banned in India.

Estimating the cost of surrogacy is not at all a straightforward process. Therefore before you go ahead and signup for a package, it is extremely important to know what all is covered and more importantly understand what will be your net financial loss it if the procedure fails (Get a breakup right from the embryo formation to what if a miscarriage happens at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 9 months).

You also need to know cost of which tests are covered and if your package includes delivery charge or not. Ok, so let me make bullet points:

Are these costs covered

• Cost of delivery ( both natural and c-section)
• Hospitalization charge of the surrogate is covered or not?
• Enbryo freezing policy
• Surrogate medication charges
• Legal documentation charges
• In case of miscarriage – termination charge and hospitalization cost.
• Food charges.
• Do they have a multiple attempt package.
• Refund policy (if any)
• Egg/Sperm donor charges
• In case you have twins

A rough cost breakup

• Starting – 1 Lakh
• 1 month – 2 Lakh
• 3 months- 1.2 Lakh
• Then every month you can roughly expect 1 lack a month.
• At the time of delivery – about 2 lakh

There was no point of me specifying an exact figure as charges vary a lot by clinic to clinic.

Do not rush into getting the procedure started until you fully understand what you are signing for.

Answer: Yes ( 99%)

Wow .. you won’t believe but we often get this question from many of our readers. Let me elaborate this a bit and you will understand how this can be done.

Introduction:
Many of our readers, some even from very affluent families have everything in life with God’s grace, but they are still childless. Sooner or later, people realize the big void in life – what is the point of all this growth in life when you have no one to pass this forward to.

People ask – Who will take care of us when we grow old. If one of us (husband or wife) is not there anymore then who will be around for us…

I tell you, these are some very genuine and realistic concerns. End of the day, everyone goes away – friends, brothers, sisters, cousins, etc .. everyone gets busy in their own world.

Getting back to the point:

You can crib about India morning to evening, but there is one great (absolutely great) thing which this country allows is – SURROGACY !!

Did you know that surrogacy is not allowed in majority of western countries (Due to human rights or whatever). And even where it is allowed it is extremely-extremely costly. This is the reason why people from all over the world come to India to get these procedures done. And if we being in India are not availing these facilities then no one can be a bigger loser.

So what prompted me to write this 100% guarantee article ??

Get Sperms from a healthy Male Donor
+
Get Eggs from a healthy Female donor ( via IVF)
+
Get Services of a Surrogate ( Hire her womb for 9 months)
= Your baby !!

Yes, it is legally your baby. And luckily it is all possible in India ( Say “Mera Bharat Mahaan”  .. Loud and clear.)

Egg donor,  sperm donors and surrogates are paid for the services and they are really not interested in your child. They are interested only in the money. Moreover everything happens 100% legally. The birth certificate of the child will bear your name.

Yes it will state you as the mother and the father.
( not the egg donor, not the sperm donor and not the surrogate .. just ..  you and only you.)

But it is not my child

Who says .. it is very much your child.

Did you put bricks in the house you live in ?? someone else did ( a labourer) , yet you call it your own house?

You need not tell anyone that you got eggs and sperms donated. ( no need .. right !).. this entire egg and sperm donation happens in 100% confidentiality. Even the egg donor and sperm donor do not know where their eggs/sperms are going.

Infact with donated sperms and eggs, you can actually select the profiles of both male and female who are probably healthier that you and may be have at least some resemblance to you.

Downside:

Cost .. you are looking at expense which will run into several lakhs of rupees. And if one attempt fails then next attempt. But then you can always have frozen embryos of previous attempt which will significantly bring down your cost.

I never believed in this … but may be someone said it right .. Money can buy everything.

Combinations:

If the father is healthy then no need of a male sperm donor.

If mother is healthy, no need of an egg donor.

If both are healthy, may be you can only hire a surrogate and still have your DNA’s passed.

Possibilities are endless. Finally I believe that in India, one can actually be assured of a baby 99% ( if not 100%).

And obviously .. attempts are endless too .. so correct me if I am wrong – Isn’t it almost a 99% guarantee?

Introduction:

First and foremost calm down, pregnancy issues are  extremely common these days and you are not alone. We also need to accept that there is no single solution or a magic pill which can solve this issue instantly.

Every couple is different and we have our own set of physical, mental and lifestyle patterns. What works for others may not necessarily work for you. Although no one can 110% guarantee you of a baby, there are various things that you can do to maximize the probability of getting pregnant. Additionally there are cutting edge pregnancy solutions like IVF and Surrogacy which can essentially raise your chances multiple times.

Top 10 reasons for not getting pregnant:

1. Age:

10-12 years back (say before year 2003)  aging was not such an important factor because people use to live in joint families and in-laws started nagging for a grandchild right after 1-2 years of marriage. Additionally women were generally housewives and they were more inclined to have babies sooner. But today Indian couples delay pregnancy into their 30’s and by that time their peak fertility age has already passed. Body of a woman is most fit for pregnancy in her 20’s (early and mid 20’s). By the time a woman reaches 30+, things can start getting a bit difficult ( and extremely difficult after 35).

Recommendation: If you have tried naturally for quite some time (say minimum of 1 to 2 years) and have not succeeded, start thinking about IVF or Surrogacy. If you delay too much, there are chances that the quality of husband’s sperms and wife’s eggs, plus her ability to carry a child will go down further. Not meeting a doctor will certainly save you money but the possibility that you might be childless all your life will keep going up over time. Come out of your “hesitation” shell and seek immediate medical attention.

If you do not want to meet a fertility doctor in your own city due to social shyness, then go to another big city near you like New Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Calcutta  or Chennai.

2. Are you guys doing sex on the right days ?? (Yes it matters)

Before you jump to IVF or Surrogacy procedures, first try to take some corrective measures at your end. I mean, you might have been doing a few things incorrectly. An important being – The timing of sex.

Did you know that having sex every day of the month does not increase chances of having a baby. There are only a few days in a month when a woman can get pregnant. Women are fertile only when they are ovulating ( usually 12 to 16 days before her periods begin). Having intercourse/sex every day during these 2-3 days will increase your chances of conceiving drastically. So, do not stress your partner on remaining days, enjoy your love life as and when needed.

Recommendation: Get an “ovulation test kit” and you will know when a woman is ovulating. It is very simple to use, right from your home. This will help you avoid the guess work and tell you precisely that the time has come to start your love making for the next few days. Cost is about Rs: 500 per pack.

Note: Although it is not 100% necessary to make love every day (or morning/evening) as sperms are alive for about 2 days after intercourse, still I have seen doctors recommending doing it once a day.

3. Tried enough .. Get medical checks done right away:

Get in touch with an experienced Gynae doctor and she will recommend several tests for both husband and wife. Usually men go through a comprehensive “Semen Analysis and Culture” test (sperm count, volume, concentration, motility, DNA damage and morphology)  and women will go through several more like “Blood test“, “Pap Smear“, “Blocked Fallopian Tube test“, “Thyroid test” and other hormones tests.

These tests will confirm if just by taking medications your infertility issue can be solved or not. For example, if the quality of male’s sperm is bad (extremely common), then ability for a woman to conceive really comes down. There are medications and multivitamins that your doctor will recommend which will boost his vitality. Do not hesitate or hide anything, be 100% honest with your doctor and follow his advice.

4. Avoid social  stigma or baseless myths :

I have seen so many baseless myths which vary a lot:
Stay away from advises like these.

– Oh don’t make love on nights when the moon is not visible.
– Eat coconut for a fair child.
– Take Babaji’s blessing.
– Problem can only be in a female.
– Keep some blessed powder under your pillow.
– Put some holy oil on your tummy.
– Your horoscope tells that you will have child only by next year.

5. Are you Stressed? Mental health matters:

Quite an  obvious one, therefore I will not elaborate much. Studies clearly indicate that excessive stress can significantly lower your chances of getting pregnant. There is a strong mind body connection !!

6. Are you Overweight? Physical health matters too

If you are obese, then reduce weight by going to the Gym or start morning walks daily. Stop giving false excuses to yourself. Similarly if you are too much underweight, even then your chances may go down.

7. Avoid lubricants

Lubricants ( jelly, oil or sex creams) decrease sperm motility and transfer, so you should not use lubricant when you’re trying to get pregnant, instead have the guy to apply a bit of clean water on his d**k just before entering.

8. Endometriosis

It is defined as a chronic disease of the reproductive system in which the cells from endometrium (lining of the uterus) grow where the’re not supposed to—outside the uterine cavity, causing blocked tubes that could prevent the egg and sperm from meeting, or the fertilized egg from traveling down the fallopian tubes normally (causing an ectopic pregnancy). Common symptoms of endometriosis are heavy and painful periods, pain during intercourse, and mild to severe cramping during menstruation.

Treatment:
The only way to really know if you’re suffering from endometriosis is through laparoscopy, a surgical procedure using a lighted tube to check for cysts in the abdomen. You can have these cysts removed during a laparoscopic procedure. [1]

8. Female fallopian tubes blocked:

Blocked or damaged fallopian tubes prevent eggs from getting to the uterus and sperm from getting to the egg.  Your doctor may recommend you for a fallopian tube test in which a coloured medicated dye is put in the tubes and the results are examined. In a HSSG test or a transvaginal ultrasound scan, which takes place in the hospital will give a pretty good idea if any one of the tube is blocked or if both tubes are blocked. If one tube is blocked then natural pregnancy is still possible. If both tubes are fully blocked then chances of conceiving naturally become zero. In that case only IVF  or Laparoscopic surgery will be helpful.

BTW: Male tube blockages can also occur. Solution is to undergo a surgery to correct epididymal tube blockages.

9. Quit smoking and minimize/stop alcohol intake:

No point in elaborating much, this is basic common sense.

10. And many other reasons ….

– Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) – Instead of ripening and maturing one egg each cycle, the ovaries develop many small cysts and ovulation never takes place.

– Unexplained infertility: Sometimes a doctor will not be able to find a cause of infertility even after getting all the tests done. It is quite common too. Keep trying naturally for a few more months, if you are still unsuccessful then opt for IVF.

** Most common solutions **

I understand, you must be quite overwhelmed by reading the list of issues mentioned above.

Do a big favour on yourself .. stop worrying .. take a deep breath and Calm Down…

Our science has progressed tremendously and there are solutions to every problem, provided you keep an open mind and obviously are in a position to spend money.

1. IVF (In-vitro Fertilization):  (Cost : Rs. 75,000 to 1.25L)

IVF is a process where the wife is given medication so that she produces more number of eggs ( naturally women generate only one egg at a time). These eggs (folicles) are then taken out via a simple surgery.

Its easy for the husband, his sperms are collected ( he will give a clean plastic container to give his stiff). Then both eggs and sperms are fused in a controlled environment (in a lab to form embryos). Ask your doctor if they do ICSI process (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection) and if it is beneficial in your case.

What is ICSI?
In normal IVF, many sperm are placed together with an egg, in hopes that at least one of the sperms will enter and fertilize the egg. With ICSI, the embryologist takes a single sperm and injects it directly into an egg. ICSI is an optional process.

Only healthy embryos (formed by fusing Sperm + Egg)  are placed back into the mother’s womb with hopes of her conceiving. You can do multiple IVF cycles, giving a gap of few months in between. Cost of IVF is around around 75K to 1.5 Lakhs.

2. Surrogacy:  (Cost 10 to 15 Lakhs) – The ultimate solution.

This is usually done after your doctor concludes that your wife is not being able to conceive neither naturally nor via IVF. In surrogacy healthy embryos are placed in a healthy younger woman’s womb, this lady is called Surrogate. Watch this video http://india.surrogacybaby.in/top-10-ivf-surrogacy-videos/ for more information.

A successful surrogacy (i.e. if a child is successfully born) costs around 13 lakhs, if unsuccessful then cost is much lesser. Make up your mind and go for it.

3. Egg or a Sperm donor: (Rs 25,000 to 1 Lakh)

If a doctor determines that the quality of Male Sperms or Female Eggs are not good, you should explore getting a donor. It is hard to convince yourself initially because one of you will not pass your genes to the child, but come out of this mind-block, sooner the better. Having no child because of your own physical limitations should not stop you from joys of fatherhood/motherhood. Egg/Sperm donation is done in complete secrecy and no one other than your doctor and yourself will know that you have used a donor.

Cheaper egg/sperm donors will have a very ordinary profile. Better Egg donors (well educated, good looking etc..) will charge higher.  Personally I recommend you to go for a medium range to higher range egg donor. Ask your doctor to provide profiles of egg donors so you can select. (Detailed profiles are usually not shared due to privacy concerns)

NOTE: Even with egg donation, it is legally your child. Still, read the legal documentation carefully before engaging a donor.

4. Other lifestyle changes/infertility conditions

• Take proper 7-8 hours of sleep. This will reduce stress and also boost your immunity system.
• Every cycle when a women does not conceive.. can be quite depressing. Keep patience.
• Ovulation problems – mature eggs are not developing in your ovaries.
• Irregular periods, thin womb lining.
• Even secondary infertility may exist.

5. If everything fails .. Adopt a child: (Cost – Nothing)

Why not give a good life to an orphan, and you will still have all the joys of parenthood. Adoption is not easy these days due to a large number of childless couples – and all those will seek adoption as their last resort. If you want a good looking child or have a preference for a baby boy/girl then the adoption process can get a lot more difficult. In India there is a preference for a baby boy, but look around you, girls are a lot more loving and caring than boys, so think again.

Legally, you are not supposed to give any money.

Good luck !!

The “best natural age” for a woman’s body to get pregnant is between 21 to 25 years of age. At this age their eggs are very fertile and body completely fit to bear a baby. Between 26 to 30 years of age, is usually the starting point when females start facing minor pregnancy issues because they have already crossed their peak fertility age. Still the age of 25-30 remains overall the best age to complete your family in urban cities because during this time you as a couple should reach at least some career stability in life. Delaying having kids is not advisable.

Completing your family before 30 years of age has great advantages – First you will have fewer pregnancy issues and secondly you will be able to raise and settle your kids when you are still healthy & energetic, and not reaching near retirement age.

Once you hit 30 and you still do not have a baby, big red alarm bells should be buzzing in your house. After 30 years of age things start to get a bit complex. Women should really consider 30 to 35 years of age as their last chance to have a baby (or babies), because after 35 years a very high percentage of women will not be able to have a baby naturally at all. The quality of eggs and ability to bear a child in womb really goes down.

It is easy for couples these days to say that we do not want a baby or we will have it later once we are “fully” settled in life, fact of the matter is that when the reality daunts on them, they will have a very hard time to complete their family. A baby brings a lot of stability in a couples personal life too because they start thinking about their child rather than only themselves.

If you are in your 30s, here are a few things you should do in order to keep your body fit and minimize infertility issues.

1. Reduce stress:

Stress hormones play a very negative role when it comes to pregnancy. Due to high stress uncountable negative things happens in your body, this makes stress as the number one cause of infertility.

2. Have regular gynecologist exam:

Regular visits to a gynecologist will help you to kill problem before it becomes late. She will also give you multivitamins and preventative medicines if necessary. Ask your doctor about prenatal vitamins that have folic acid , which helps protect against some birth defects.

3. Healthy lifestyle:

Too little or too much weight is not good for you. Introduce Walk, Gym or Yoga in your your life. Eat balanced diet and lead a hygienic lifestyle. Having some quantity of nuts, citrus fruits and antioxidant rich food everyday is also known to boost potency.

4. Stop Alcohol intake (or greatly reduce) and Quit Smoking:

Problem with alcohol is that it is very easy to go overboard. Having 1-2 drinks a week is not a problem, but overall most doctors will advice you to simply stop altogether until your family is complete. Tell your husband to cooperate with you on this topic, he should refrain too.

5. Watch when you are Ovulating:

Ovulation is when a mature egg is released from the ovary, pushed down the fallopian tube, and is available to be fertilized. Approximately every month an egg will mature within one of your ovaries. Having intercourse with your partner when you are ovulating greatly increases your chances. Usually a woman ovulates between 12 to 16 days before your period begins. Predicting ovulation is now easier than ever and it all starts with understanding how ovulation tests work. The ovulation pregnancy test is over 99% accurate in detecting the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge in your urine. The LH surge indicates when you’re most fertile and likely to conceive. When a woman is ovulating, make love once a day for those 2-3 days.

6. Minimize radiations near your tummy/pelvic area:

Although nothing has been concretely proven, it is overall advised to avoid long term exposure of cell phones, Wifi devices (like laptop) etc.. near your reproductive organs.

7. Partner test:

Get the semen analysis of your male partner too. It is possible that the quality of his sperms might have gone down too. Similar to females, quality of male sperms also goes down with age. Doctor may also prescribe potency boosting medicines for your husband (like Vitamin C, E and others)

8. Act now:

If you have been repeatedly failing to conceive for more than two years, talk to your doctor about IUI and IVF techniques. Surrogacy comes later if the first two have failed.

9. Avoid superstitions:

Many elders will tell you to go to a saint/baba’s or do funny stuff which have zero scientific value.

10. Other important aspects:

– Tell your partner to avoid steamy hot showers, working with laptop sitting on his lap or going inside a hot tub when you are seriously trying to conceive. Heat around testicles area can effect quality of sperms.

– Both of you should limit coffee and tea intake. 2-3 cups of tea/coffee in a moderate size cup is fine.

– Make love every 3-5 days so that sperms do not become too old.

– Exposures to chemicals, pesticide, especially agricultural pesticides, may harm both men and women’s fertility.

– Lay in bed for 10 to 15 minutes after intercourse, but you don’t need your feet in the air

Also a personal suggestion:

Have 2 kids and not do not stop at just one. Two kids will have a good time together and will prevent you from over-pampering your only child. Tho children will compete for parents love, a single child knows that everything belongs to him and parents have no choice other than continue to love him. I have never come across any couple who will honestly tell that they are happy with only one child. Most couples who have a single child do try for the second one, but they were not successful, unless they have a strong medical, intra-family or financial issue.

In-Vitro fertilization (IVF) and Surrogacy are both methods of assisted reproductive technology (ART). Both procedures are aimed to help couples meet their dreams of parenthood.

Note: If mother’s own eggs are not healthy enough, the couple can pay some money another woman called “Egg Donor”  and then her eggs are fused with your husband’s sperms to form embryos. Those embryos are finally transferred to mother’s womb (not in the egg donor’s womb). Egg Donor has no rights over the baby since she sells her eggs to the intended parents.

Similarly if husband’s sperm quality is not good, a couple can opt for a male sperm donor as well.

The cost of basic IVF ranges between 1 to 1.8 Lakh Indian rupees. This includes medications and procedure cost.

Following is a more of a theoretical explanation of IVF, which you can skip and jump to Surrogacy directly.

What is IVF?

IVF or In-Vitro Fertilization is a process of fertilization, in which doctors combine the Female’s egg and Male’s sperm in a laboratory to form an embryo (also called Test Tube baby). Later, the embryo is transferred back into to a woman’s uterus/womb. This process was developed more than 30 years ago for women suffering with damaged Fallopian tubes.

How does IVF work?

IVF treatments start with a course hormone therapy on mother’s body to boost the development of several eggs/follicles in her ovary. When the eggs are collected, they are fertilized in a test tube to produce several embryos. After 2-4 days in the incubator, one or two embryos are transferred to the mother’s uterus where implantation may occur, assisting the mother to get pregnant.

However, not all embryo implants can result in a successful pregnancy that is why if any extra (healthy) embryos are still left, they are frozen for another attempt if needed.

Following is a more theoretical explanation of Surrogacy, which you can skip.

What is Surrogacy?

If the womb of mother is not fit for pregnancy, eggs are implanted into another woman who brings up the baby in her womb for 9 months. This other woman who rents out her womb to the intended parents is called a “Surrogate” and process is called “Surrogacy”. The surrogate mother agrees to give the child to the intended parents at the end of the pregnancy.

This is a complex process, which requires emotional and legal complex arrangements for both the parties. Medical, emotional, legal and financial are just some of the matters that need consideration before going with this procedure.

What are Two different Types of Surrogates?

There are two types of surrogate mothers: traditional surrogates and gestational surrogates.
With traditional surrogate, artificial insemination is performed. The egg of the surrogate woman is artificially inseminated with the father’s sperm. The artificial insemination occurs in the laboratory but you are using the eggs of the surrogate mother thus giving a genetic link between the surrogate mother and the baby. But the surrogate woman still carries the baby to full term and gives the baby to intended parents.

With gestational surrogate, it is the process of harvesting eggs from the mother and fertilizing them with the father’s sperms. For some reason, the mother cannot conceive thus the embryo is placed in the uterus of the gestational surrogate. The surrogate will then carry the baby for nine months and will give the baby to the intended recipients after the birth of the child.

How IVF and Surrogacy are Connected?

IVF and Surrogacy are different process however, IVF is needed in surrogacy process.

Through the gestational surrogate, IVF is now possible. The harvested eggs that are used in the gestational surrogate are not from the donor but from the mother and the sperm used to fertilize the eggs are from the father. When the eggs are fertilized, an embryo is formed and it is placed in the gestational surrogate.

A gestational mother has no genetic link to the child because it was not her egg that was used. Gestational surrogate is only the birth mother but she is not the biological mother.
Studies show that in the United States, gestational surrogacy is not a complex matter because both intended parents still have the genetic ties to the baby. Most couples now prefer to choose gestational surrogacy compared to traditional surrogate.

Difference between IVF and Surrogacy

IVF is the process of fertilizing an egg outside a woman’s body while surrogacy is the process when a woman agrees to carry a baby for intended recipients. The surrogate mother will have to surrender all the rights to the intended recipients.

If you used traditional surrogacy, the surrogate mother uses her own eggs. This method allows a genetic link between the surrogate and the child.

If you plan to use the gestational surrogacy, there is no genetic link between the surrogate mother and the child because the fertilization had taken place in a laboratory dish and the embryos were just transferred to the surrogate.

Even though every woman wants her child to carry forward her DNA, however due to aging or medical issues, her eggs might not be of such fine quality anymore to give birth to a child. If a woman goes for In-vitro Fertilization (IVF) or Surrogacy with donated eggs (eggs of a different lady fused with her husband’s sperms), for some women accepting a child who does not carry her genes can be overwhelming.

Honestly speaking, it does not matter. Once you have a child in your arms, it will be 100% yours, even legally. The birth certificate of the child will carry your and your husband’s name on it.

It is extremely important to find the right egg donor for you.

The Best Age Group

Not all women can qualify to be an egg donor for IVF/Surrogacy. The ideal age group is women between 21 to 30 years of age. Most agencies do not even consider women (egg donors) over 28 years of age.

The quality of the egg decreases rapidly as a woman gets older. The chance of producing good quality eggs decreases after 30 years of age and the possibility of having normal eggs falls sharply when a woman reaches 37 years of age. In foreign countries, a lot of working women get their eggs/embryo’s frozen at an early age and use them when they are ready for a child later in life when their own eggs may not remain as healthy as they were.

Women younger than 20 years of age are also not selected (usually) because they often do not understand the importance/depth of what they are agreeing to.

Proven Pregnancy Check

An egg donor should already have at least one child of her own to prove that she has the capability of producing fertile eggs.

Physical Features

If you are looking for an egg donor, it is advisable that you choose an egg donor whose features match yours, at least somewhat (height, complexion, hair and eye color).

Egg Count

Normally, only one egg is produced in the ovaries at a time when a woman is not under any medication. However, an egg donor is given medications so that she produces 10+ eggs at a time. Not all donated eggs are fit for use. Some eggs may not develop maturely while others may not fertilize for unknown reasons.

To ensure that maximum eggs are retrieved and they are healthy, it is best that you choose an egg donor who did not donate her eggs for another IVF/Surrogacy very recently (say in the last 4 months).

Number of Egg Donations

A woman is not allowed to give egg donations more than 5 times in her lifetime. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine has set this standard, this rule is usually followed by Indian doctors too.

Medical Screening

A physical examination is required before anyone becomes an egg donor. Blood tests are needed to check the hormone levels and medical history. Ultrasound is used to examine the pelvic organs, ovaries and uterus. These tests are completed to ensure that the egg donor is free from any existing health problems.

Likewise, egg donors are not smokers or should have stopped smoking for at least six months prior to the egg donation. Candidates with the history of drug use are also ruled out. Urine toxicology tests are required to determine abstinence from drug use.

Infectious Disease Screening

When tissue or blood is transferred from one individual to another, there is a risk of bacteria or virus. To reduce the risk of causing illness in the intended recipient, the egg donor is tested for any infections.

During the pelvic exam, a small scrape from the cervix is taken to test for Chlamydia and gonorrhea. Blood tests are also performed to test the egg donor for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis and HTLV-1. HTLV-1 is not common virus but it is associated with some forms of cancer.

Hormone Tests

Blood tests are done to measure estrogen, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), Luteinizing Hormone (LH), Antimullerian Hormone (AMH) and Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) levels to make sure that the hormone levels are normal. These tests are done during the first week of the menstrual cycle of the egg donor.

HIV/AIDS Testing

USA Law also requires that the egg donor should undergo an HIV test to make sure that she is not infected with HIV/AIDS. Indian doctors also perform these tests directly or rely on agencies to give them this report.

Partner Screening

The sexual partner of the egg donor should also undergo testing for sexually transmitted diseases and HIV.

Screening for Inherited Disease

To minimize the risk of birth defects in your child, the egg donor will undergo screening for inherited diseases.

In some cases, genetic counselor is accessible to make sure that certain genetic disorders like Huntington’s disease, Sickle cell anemia or Hemophilia are not present in the genetic history of the donor.

Psychological Screening

Egg donation is not a simple process. The whole journey of egg donation for IVF/Surrogacy is complex and may stir emotional, social and ethical issues. That is why psychological screening is vital.

An egg donor will have to take psychological tests. The main goal of psychological test is to make sure that the egg donor can fulfill the complex process of egg donation. Sometimes the partner will also have to undergo psychological evaluation.

Blood Type

Blood type matching is optional, but many doctors will recommend it. Consult your doctor regarding this.

Background Checks

For surrogacy, it is recommended that background checks should be done to ensure that  surrogate mother is a responsible person and if free from criminal background.

What if a Friend or Relative is your Egg Donor?

There are times when a friend or relative is the egg donor. Instead of choosing an anonymous egg donor, some intended parents prefer choosing someone they know like their sister or any relative to make sure that they have some resemblance to their baby.

Intended parents also feel more connected and secure knowing that they know the egg donor. However, even if you knew someone who would be willing to donate her egg for you, the usual medical screening, psychological screening, HIV screening tests should ideally be followed.

Other Factors to Consider

In recent years, recipient parties also chose egg donor that have recent high grades and good career. These documents may show the abilities of the egg donor. Aside from grades, physical looks also matter. Studies show egg donors that are beautiful and intelligent are more likely to be chosen as egg donors.

Trust me on this, the moment you enter any IVF clinic, their front end staff is fully trained to play with your emotions/dreams and sell their service to you. They will focus their emotional talk towards the wife due to obvious reasons. Within 15-20 minutes you will be almost convinced that this is the best place you can get the Surrogacy process done. They may even have newspaper and magazine cuttings boasting about their success (although I personally feel that some of them are paid publications too). They will fully convince you that how having a child (or a 2nd child) is more important than your money. Well, they need your money and you need a baby but there is a catch. The fact is Surrogacy/IVF is one of the safest industries where you pay even though there is no guarantee of success. Very true, no one can guarantee you of a baby but then you also need to ensure that.

Good, honest and experienced doctors/clinics are present. Therefore connecting with the right one is extremely important.

1. You are not being overcharged for the services .
2. You are actually getting good services from a knowledgeable and experienced team.
3. Decisions are not taken purely based on emotions.

Tips to find a good doctor or clinic for Surrogacy/IVF:

1. First thing first – Prepare yourself mentally:
Before you step out of your home, make yourself emotionally strong. Undoubtedly your decision to have a baby is correct and to achieve your target one needs to use their brain more than heart.

2. Do shop around for a  good Surrogacy/IVF center:
Go to at least 2-3 IVF/Surrogacy clinics (or more) before you make up your mind. Ask each one about their success rate and a BREAK-UP charges of their services. This will help you understanding not only what all steps are involved in IVF/Surrogacy, but if one center is overcharging for one step which another one is charging much less. It will later help you in negotiation.

3. Ask overhead/additional costs:
There may be tests like Semen Analysis, Blood tests, HIV tests, even cost of injections/medications which may not be mentioned in their package. Get a checklist complete out of pocket expenses.

4. Ask their policy if IVF/Surrogacy process fails for the first time:
Almost all clinics offer some discounts on 2nd or 3rd attempt if the previous attempt fails. See how much flexible they are in their repetition process.

5. Yes, you can negotiate to some extent:
If not much, there is always some room for negotiation. It is completely fine to leave your number and have the IVF/Surrogacy center to revert back to you with with some discounts or deals. Regardless of what these doctors/clinic staff tells you, they make a lot of money so they do not want to lose you easily.

6. Ask/Find References:
Ask for real references of parents for whom they have performed IVF/Surrogacy successfully. It is quite possible that they will simply not provide you because of privacy reasons, which is quite right. Still, there is no harm in asking. If any of your friend/relative had success with IVF/surrogacy process with particular a fertility doctor, it is better consider that clinic over others. You may be hesitant that your relative may get to know about your infertility issues and that you have been unsuccessfully trying to conceive for a while. Lets be practical, having a baby is more important than going with an unknown doctor. Infertility issues are so common these days that it is no more a taboo anymore. If nothing else, try to observe the presence of pregnancy ladies in the clinic. There may be other couples present in the clinic, try to get friendly with them and see what they have to say about the center.

7. Are doctors/clinics following the government norms.
In India sex-determination is completely illegal, and I would recommend you not to flirt around this rule or pressurize doctors over it. Additionally there are strict privacy and humanitarian laws surrounding these processes. If you try to bypass them, they may bite you back in case of any complication. If a center is ready to break rules privately with you could mean their business is actually struggling. There are IVF/surrogate lawyers if you have any doubts.

8. Will your doctor/clinic share the health record of your surrogate/egg donor?
Forcing your doctor to disclose the the name, religion or address of your surrogate might be illegal. But to other things like health records of your surrogate/egg donor and her history related to pregnancy is your legal right. IVF clinics/staff will often tell you “TRUST US” (on this or that), although it is very true that you do have to trust them many times during the process, but end of the day if you have some doubt, please do ask your doctor if they can provide you a proof.

9. Proven/experienced doctors are better:
Reputed clinics/big hospitals which can provide solid proof of they success or top of the line IVF/Surrogacy centers are usually 10-20% expensive over others. It is better to shell the extra cost if you are confused to go with a smaller setup or a bigger one.

10. Distance/Location selection:
In case of IVF/Surrogacy, traveling a little far from your home for a good doctor/clinic should not be an issue for you. Your local doctor may not be well qualified, may not have the best equipments/lab or the best legal team.

11. See if there is an unbiased agency which can assist you:
Although rare, there are IVF/Surrogate agencies who can act like a middleman and make sure that you get the best treatment. These agencies may be free for you (they may get a commission from the doctor) or they may directly charge you a fee. Again, see if this agency can provide referrals of their past cases.

12. Step by Step progression:
If just IVF is better for you, then why go for the expensive Surrogacy. Similarly if both of you are healthy, then why go for an egg/sperm donor.

My objective to make you aware about all these things is purely one-to-one and to help you make a mindful decision for your family.

https://community.ibm.com/community/user/datascience/blogs/tim-stone2/2021/01/26/bettering-debt-collection-with-predictive-models