Considering International Surrogacy? Leave India Off Your List.

A recent article detailed the struggles one couple had when using a surrogate service overseas in India. The Australian couple along with others have documented cases of abortions, questionable medical bills and even baby mix-ups. A support group for Australians wanting to enter surrogacy arrangements reported that approximately 95% of people were happy with their experiences, but  5% were left dealing with nightmare stories, some in India’s unregulated surrogacy system.

One of the biggest problems is Indian doctors pushing people to transfer large numbers of embryos at once to increase their chances of a successful pregnancy. This was resulting in some families bringing home four babies when they wanted only one or two. This also caused others, to make difficult decisions about terminating pregnancies in surrogates, often referred to as “reductions.”

Others cases included receiving the wrong baby and having to deal with DNA tests and expensive legal as well as travel expenses. While many Indian doctors insist surrogates are well treated, critics say the women, usually young and poor, are subjected to unethical treatment in “baby factories” where they often stay for nine months.

Australian couples face financial problems in the US, where surrogacy typically costs between $150,000 and $250,000 compared with an average of $50,000 in India without travel costs. Some couples had faced enormous hospital bills after their babies were born prematurely with inadequate health insurance to cover the unexpected medical costs.

It’s an unfortunate reality that anyone considering using a surrogate must now think about, especially when trying to save costs by using international surrogacy agencies. In the end, it’s possible that you might end up paying a lot more than expected while not knowing the treatment of the actual surrogates, your child and the entire process.