Surrogate mothers: Women incapable of bearing children have new hope

Baby boon: The Rajas with their twin team.Shanthi Raja splashes an extra measure of Dettol to wash her hands and makes her husband M. Raja do the same. The couple go to the incubator where new-born twins are snuggling. They take a baby each and hold them close as if to let them hear what their heart's murmur: "Our children."Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser (MRKH) Syndrome is a painful one to spell. For women like Shanthi, living with it is even more harrowing. But thanks to a surrogate mother and a technological breakthrough at Chennai's Fertility Research Centre (FRC) she became a mother of two on January 19. What is MRKH? In a female foetus, the ovaries and fallopian tubes are fully developed at 22 weeks. Any abnormality at this stage leads to deformity or absence of the reproductive organs, though the ovaries are present. The person develops all secondary sexual characteristics but does not menstruate. Dr Kamala Selvaraj, who performed the new technique, says, "About 10 per cent of women have such deformities." FRC explored the possibility of a new technique of using a surrogate mother for the MRKH afflicted. Shanthi, 34, came to FRC in October 1999 and was taken as a model case for the venture. She has no uterus and her vagina was "constructed" or repaired. Her ovaries were stimulated with hormones to produce more eggs. The eggs were sucked out, fertilised with her husband's sperm and frozen.Two months later when a surrogate was found, the embryos were thawed and kept in a carbon-dioxide incubator for 24 hours. Four embryos were transferred into the surrogate's uterus. (More than two embryos are transferred for increasing the probability of pregnancy).Tests on the 11th and 13th days showed positive pregnancy. The elated doctors took no chances they went in for a caesarean section after 36 weeks. On January 19, the surrogate delivered two baby boys. The cost incurred by the Rajas: Rs 5 lakh. For medical science in India it was a status elevation. "But for some institutes in Australia and in the West, not many can claim such a feat," says Meena Kesan, Dr Selvaraj's assistant.The only one kept out of the celebrations was the surrogate. Hospital staff was given strict instructions not to reveal her identity. The nameless surrogate lay in a room below the incubator room where the twins were kept. "I was clearly told about the deal and I stuck to it," the frail 28-year-old said exclusively to INDIA TODAY. "And no, I don't want to see the babies. I was just a carrier," she added.Dr Sharat Battina, fertility expert at Chennai's Apollo Hospital, says, "It will give a boost not only to women with MRKH but also to millions who are infertile." But he adds that our laws are outdated to deal with such a development. Chennai-based lawyer K.M. Vijayan says potential parents should enter into a contract with the surrogate saying she has no claim on the babies. "The contract holds good in a court as there is no legislation opposing it."Hailing from a suburb of Chennai, the twins' surrogate is already a mother of two. And she is richer by "about Rs 1 lakh" for her troubles. Will she do it again? "Never. Never again," she claims. But for millions of wannabe mothers in India, it's women like her who are the hope-givers.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Nov 30, 1999 00:00 IST--- ENDS ---

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Surrogate mothers: Women incapable of bearing children have new hope

Women incapable of bearing children have a new hope.

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