When the Stork is Away

Third-Party Reproduction offers many couples an opportunity to have children that would otherwise not possible. Here are some of the do’s and don’ts to keep in mind

CHENNAI: Third-Party Reproduction refers to the use of Eggs (Eggs donation), sperms (Sperm donation), embryos (Embryo donation), or a Uterus (surrogacy) that are donated by a third person (donor) to enable an infertile person or couple (recipient) to become parents. Generally, this form of reproduction is only considered when there is essentially no hope of pregnancy without this technology.

As with any life-stage decision, considering all of the options and being as informed as possible will ensure the best outcome relative to having children.  Some of the key things to keep in mind while opting for Third Party Reproduction are:

• No ART (Assisted reproductive technique) procedure shall be done without the spouse’s consent.
• The ART clinic must not be a party to any commercial element in donor programmes or in gestational surrogacy
• Sex selection at any stage after fertilization, or abortion of foetus of any particular sex should not be permitted, except to avoid the risk of transmission of a genetic abnormality assessed through genetic testing of biological parents or through preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD)

Dos and Don’ts of Egg Donation

The individual must be free of:

• HIV and hepatitis B and C infections
• Hypertension
• Diabetes
• Sexually transmitted diseases
• Identifiable and common genetic disorders such as thalassemia.
• The blood group and the Rh status of the individual must be determined and placed on record.
• Other relevant information in respect of the donor, such as height, weight, age, educational qualifications, profession, color of the skin and the eyes, and the family background in respect of history of any familial disorder, must be recorded in an appropriate Performa.
• The age of the donor must not be less than 21 or more than 35 years
• A third party donor of oocytes must be informed that the offspring will not know her identity.
• An oocyte donor cannot act as a surrogate mother for the couple to whom the ooctye is being donated.

Dos and Don’ts of a Surrogate mother:

• A surrogate mother should not be over 45 years of age.
• Before accepting a woman as a possible surrogate for a particular couple’s child, the ART clinic must ensure (and put on record) that the woman satisfies all the testable criteria to go through a successful full-term pregnancy.
• A relative, a known person, as well as a person unknown to the couple may act as a surrogate mother for the couple.
• In the case of a relative acting as a surrogate, the relative should belong to the same generation as the women desiring the surrogate.
• A prospective surrogate mother must be tested for HIV and shown to be seronegative for this virus just before embryo transfer.
• She must also provide a written certificate that (a) she has not had a drug intravenously administered into her through a shared syringe, (b) she has not undergone blood transfusion in last 6 months; and (c) she and her husband (to the best of her/his knowledge) has had no extramarital relationship in the last six months.
• No woman may act as a surrogate more than thrice in her lifetime
• The birth certificate shall be in the name of the genetic parents. The clinic, however, must also provide a certificate to the genetic parents giving the name and address of the surrogate mother.

(The writer is a Fertility Consultant at Nova IVI Fertility in the city)