Chennai home to 30 fertility clinics

Two decades after registering the first surrogate delivery in the country, Chennai is emerging as a hub for couples seeking a womb on rent. Fuelling this growth are the city's healthcare infrastructure and proliferating fertility clinics. In a series over the next one month, TOI will explore various facets of this growing industry — speaking to doctors and surrogate moms, looking at the legalities, and analysing issues of health and technology More women in city now volunteering to give wombs on rent
Two women sit in a hospital ward, chatting casually, their nighties flowing over their heavily pregnant bellies.Suguna, 26, has been here for month; Chitra just joined a few days ago. "I am expecting twins," says Suguna, who is 30 weeks pregnant. "That's why my tummy is so big," She beams like any other expectant mother. The only difference is that Suguna will not get to see the faces of the babies she bear. A surrogate, she is carrying them for a couple she has never met.
"It will be tough but I am doing it for the benefit of my own family as the money I get will help pay off our debts and fund my children's education," says Suguna, who has two daughters aged nine and seven.
Suguna and Chitra are but some of the numerous women in the city who have chosen to rent out their wombs to couples who cannot have their own baby. With fertility clinics mushrooming across the city, expert medical care available and a greater availability of surro gates, Chennai is slowly emerging as one of the important centres.
"With more than 30 IVF centres, Chennai can become a hub for surrogacy," says Dr Thankam Varma, medical director, Institute of Reproductive Medicine and Women's Health, Madras Medical Mission.
There are other aspects to be factored in. "Better pregnancy rates, the speed with which it can be done and a friendly environment also matters," says Dr Geetha Haripriya, fertility expert and chairperson, Prashanth Hospital. In the 14 years that she has run the centre, 307 babies were born out of surrogacy.
Since many countries in the world have banned surrogacy, India has emerged as a preferred destination, especially since it is cheaper here. While commissioning couples abroad may have to shell out up to `70 lakh, in India they can get the same service for as less as `13 lakh. According to a 2012 United Nations study, commercial surrogacy in India is a $400 million dollar business, with more than 3,000 fertility centres. "There is fertility tourism as it is cheaper, and easier to get surrogates. Some Catholic countries won't accept egg or sperm donation or surrogacy, so they land up here," says Dr Varma.
India, however, is yet to have an exclusive legislation governing surrogacy. The Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Bill, 2014, which would soon become a law, proposes to streamline the sector. Likely to be tabled in the winter session of Parliament, the Bill specifies that a couple has to be in their early 50s to have a child through a surrogate.
Interestingly, even though Anand in Gujarat is regarded as the country's surrogacy capital, the first surrogate birth in India took place in GG Hospital, Chennai, in 1994. "An industrialist couple from Andhra Pradesh approached me for help. As the woman had blocked fallopian tubes and repeated IVF attempts had failed, we advocated surrogacy," says Dr Kamala Selvaraj. A healthy baby boy was born to the couple after the biological mother's cousin became the surrogate. From 1994 to October 2014, a total of 86 patients have undergone the surrogacy programme in her hospital. "Out of that there were 43 (50%) pregnancies and 26 deliveries," says Dr Kamala, adding that they have worked with 110 surrogates in that period. "We have handled one or two cases every month," she says.
While sourcing surrogates was more difficult in the early days, with advances in medicine and more awareness, the scenario has changed. "The stigma is becoming less. Chennai is becoming a very cosmopolitan city, a lot of foreigners come down after doing research online. Local people are open to the option.They are not that worried about others knowing it as clinicians will maintain certain amount of privacy and confidentiality," says Dr Varma.
With increasing media attention and awareness, there is also a greater availability of surrogates. "We get voluntary walk-ins, both as egg donors and sur rogates," says fertility expert Dr Priya Selvaraj. According to another doctor, sometimes, surrogates are even brought down from places like Visakhapatnam.