Is surrogacy for us is the most frequently question to Surrogacy Doctors
Yes it is if –
• You have recurrent IVF failures and aren’t getting any younger
• The problem isn’t conception but about the inability to carry the baby to term
• You have a problem with your uterus and cannot bear children
• You do not have a uterus
• You have a medical condition that makes it too risky for you to go through 9 months of pregnancy
This is the opinion of Dr Chaitanya Ganapule, among the most reputed Surrogacy Doctors in Pune.
Can we have a baby through surrogacy, which is genetically linked to us?
According to Surrogacy Doctors at Yash IVF, this is another major concern and FAQ.
Sure you can, provided that
The male partner has viable sperms
The woman can produce a sufficient number of healthy eggs
If this is possible, we can go for gestational surrogacy. In this, the embryo is created in the IVF lab by fertilising a single sperm from the male partner with the female partner’s egg by a process of ICSI. In this process, a single sperm is injected into an egg, under high magnification, in the sterile environment of the IVF lab. The embryo thus formed is grown in the lab for 3 to 5 days. It is then transferred into the womb of the surrogate mother, who has no genetic connection with the baby.
Sometimes the woman is unable to produce a healthy egg that can lead to a successful fertilisation. In such a case, we recommend harvesting eggs from an egg donor, fertilising them with sperm from the male partner and then transferring the embryo so formed into the womb of a surrogate mother who will carry the embryo through pregnancy. In such a situation the father’s genes are a passed on to the child. The surrogate mother has no genetic linkage with the child.
So advises Dr Chaitanya Ganapule, one of the well known Surrogacy Doctors based at Yash IVF, Deccan Gym, Pune.
What if neither partner has a viable sperm or eggs and the lady additionally has a problem in the uterus, preventing her from getting pregnant? Can we become parents through surrogacy?
This is what Dr Chaitanya Ganapule, one of the well known Surrogacy Doctors based at Yash IVF, Deccan Gym, Pune, has to say-
Yes, although you also have the option of adopting a baby. However, if you have made up your mind to have the baby by hiring the services of a surrogate mother, so that you can vicariously have the pleasure of having a baby, surrogacy is definitely right for you.
In such a situation, we will source the sperm from a male donor, the egg from a female donor and the fertilised embryo will be transferred into the womb of a surrogate. While the child will not be genetically linked to you, we will take all precautions to ensure that the child bears sufficient resemblance to the couple. More importantly, the couple can actively participate in the pregnancy, attend the monthly monitoring of the surrogate and participate in the birth of the child.
Another common question for Surrogacy Doctors – How can we ensure that a child born through surrogacy will resemble us?
Says one of Pune’s best known surrogacy doctors – It should not be an issue if the sperm and egg are harvested from the intended parents. The surrogate mother merely lends her womb and is in no way genetically connected to the child.
In the event that the woman is unable to produce viable eggs, an egg donor is recruited. The IVF center takes care to see that physical features like hair, skin color and features of the donor match those of the intended mother. The husband’s genes are, in any case, going to be transmitted to the child.
Should the husband have a problem with his sperm, we go in for a sperm donor, in which case, the mother’s genes are passed onto the child and the donor is matched to the husband as closely as possible. Again the physical attributes are adhered to while selecting the donor, says Dr Chaitanya Ganapule, who leads a team of ssurrogacy doctors and technicians at Yash IVF, Pune.
How long will it take to start the process of surrogacy once we give our confirmation?
“Once you have taken the decision to use our services to have a baby through surrogacy, you are required to pay a token amount of advance and register with us”, advise the surrogacy doctors at Yash IVF. Our staff will now start looking for suitable donors that match your physical attributes, and a healthy surrogate. Before the process of surrogacy can commence, the intended parents must sign a suitable agreement with the surrogate mother. This agreement should be professionally drafted by a lawyer well versed with the process, so that the interests of both parties – the intended parents, as well as the surrogate mother, are fully protected. AS far as the IVF center is concerned, we prefer to carry out endometrial monitoring of the surrogate, followed by a diagnostic hysteroscopy to rule out any conditions that may prevent successful implantation. Similarly, the selected donor, if any, also undergoes investigations to assess her follicles. Once the Surrogate passes the 2 investigations, we are good to proceed with the agreement signing between the surrogate mother and the couple. Along with the surrogate mother, her husband is also required to participate in the agreement signing. If she does not have a husband, a member of her immediate family or a caretaker can sign the agreement.
This process of identification of the donors and surrogate and subsequent investigations and finalization may take between 4 to 8 weeks, according to the surrogacy doctors at Yash IVF.
What if the surrogate mother backtracks after she gets pregnant and wishes to abort the child?
According to the surrogacy doctors at Yash IVF, Pune, this is a major concern with couples as they will be ending up paying considerable money. This is a remote possibility, assert the surrogacy doctors at Yash IVF. The surrogate we select is carefully chosen. She would have atleast one child of her own, preferably 2, with at least 1 delivered normally.. She should have undergone not more than 2 C sections. Ideally she should have had 1 surrogacy experience earlier. These are ladies in need of money and they would least wish to jeopardize their chances of earning a living by being unstable, unpredictable and untrustworthy. In any case, aborting beyond 12 weeks is difficult and beyond 20 weeks its is possible only a critical anomaly is detected and confirmed independently by a second consultant, says Dr Chaitanya Ganapule, leader of the team of surrogacy doctors at Yash IVF.
In any case, the surrogate runs the risk of losing not only the advance money given but also runs the risk of legal action, having signed a very comprehensive agreement, which protects the rights of both parties – he surrogate as well as the intended parents.
What if the intended parents become victims of unforeseen calamity? What is the fate of the surrogate and the child?
At the time of initial discussions about surrogacy, with the intended parents, this factor is taken into account. The couple is required to get 2 guarantors to sign a legal document by which, they agree to take up the responsibilities of being the parents to the child, say the surrogacy doctors at Yash IVF.
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