The decision to go for either IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) or surrogacy is not an easy one for most couples. The stress of being unable to conceive a child through natural means is often overwhelming. This is all the more reason why you should not rush the decision of conceiving a child through artificial means.
While both IVF and surrogacy help you conceive a child, this post will guide you through the finer differences between the two.
IVF (In Vitro Fertilization)
‘In Vitro’ is Latin for ‘in glass’, which is a direct reference to the glass dishes used for this procedure in IVF laboratories. Colloquially known as a test tube baby, a child conceived through IVF is the result of an egg being fertilized by a sperm in a Petri dish.
IVF is further classified into two types,
• Natural –here the woman’s eggs are harvested directly from her fallopian tubes in the course of her natural cycle.
• Mild – here mild drugs are used to stimulate the ovaries into producing around two-seven eggs.
The actual process of fertilization can either take place naturally or by direct injection of the sperm into the eggs through a process known as – Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
Although it started out in India as an expensive process, IVF has made rapid strides towards becoming a treatment that is affordable to a large section of the Indian society.
Surrogacy
Surrogacy is derived from the term ‘surrogate’, whereby one person stands in or substitutes for another. In surrogacy, an arrangement is made (overseen by doctors and legal professionals from both parties concerned) that allows a woman to carry the baby for another couple. To wit, she acts as a surrogate for the intended mother.
Also known as gestational surrogacy, here the surrogate mother does not have any genetic link to the child. In a gestational surrogacy, the egg (from either a donor or the intended mother) is fertilized using the sperm from the intended father or donor. The fertilized egg is then placed into the womb of the surrogate mother (as the intended mother’s womb is inhospitable due to medical complications), who then carries and delivers the baby. A gestational surrogate is considered to be only the birth mother of the baby as her own eggs are not used in the fertilization process.
Which is ideal or you?
In our experience of treating childless couples, we’ve come across a number of cases whereby women from the affected couple’s families volunteered to be gestational surrogates. In the absence of such volunteers from within the family, a childless couple is best served by opting for the services of a commercial surrogate. Such a surrogacy involves payment of money to the surrogate for her services. Needless to say, this is an expensive proposition.
IVF, on the other hand, is the first line of treatment in case of faults in either the egg or the sperm or both. The egg from the intended mother is fertilized using the sperm from either the intended father or donor before being placed into the intended mother’s womb. This is usually done more than once and till the time the intended mother becomes pregnant.
However, if the intended mother doesn’t become pregnant even after multiple rounds of IVF and artificial insemination, surrogacy is the only option.
As one of India’s leading fertility clinics, we always recommend aspiring parents to try the IVF route initially to become pregnant. Only after it is conclusively proven that the intended mother is medically hampered from bearing a child do we recommend the path of surrogacy.
In the Media:
For more details,
Dr.Narahari Malagaonkar
Fertility Consultant
MD, DNB, FCPS, DFP ( Mumbai),
Fellowship in Reproductive Medicine (Singapore)
Contact@+919403932404,0253-2347721, E-Mail: drmalagaonkar@progenesisivf.com