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Latest Surrogacy News
Grandmother is surrogate
mother to grandchildren
January 23, 2004
National Kerala News
Anand (Gujarat), In a
daring decision that turns conventional relationships on
its head, a Gujarati woman in her late 40s has lent her
womb to her daughter's twin children. She expects to
deliver her twin grandchildren around February 11.
Rekhaben Patel (name changed) from this small town in
central Gujarat, 100 km from the state capital
Gandhinagar, has decided to become a surrogate mother to
her London-based daughter.
Rekhaben's daughter Dharti Patel (name changed), married
to a London citizen four years ago, was unable to bear
her own children and failed to find anyone else to act
as a surrogate.
According to Patel's family physician Nayana Patel, who
is overseeing the process of fertilisation, Dharti
suffers from Rokitansky syndrome, a rare congenital
condition that causes the uterus to develop abnormally
but does not affect the ovaries.
"Dharti and her husband Akash could have produced a
test-tube embryo in London. But they couldn't do so
since they did not find anyone to carry their child as a
surrogate mother," Nayana Patel, a prominent Anand-based
gynaecologist and an expert in test-tube babies, told
IANS.
"Pondering over the
situation it suddenly struck me -- why couldn't a member
from the same family become a surrogate mother? So I
told Rekhaben to become the surrogate mother," said
Nayana Patel.
"In a parochial society of India where millions of women
still live behind veils, and sex is considered as the
biggest taboo, accepting surrogate motherhood is the
biggest challenge," the doctor said.
The couple also talked about their search for a
surrogate mother in London.
"We searched for a surrogate mother for two years but to
no avail. The surrogates in London were asking for too
much money," said Akash.
Having failed to find any way out of the imbroglio,
Dharti called her mother in Anand.
"After talking to Dharti, I resolved to help her out and
contacted Nayana Patel," said Rekhaben.
Though Rekhaben has acquiesced into becoming a surrogate
mother, she fights shy of society and does not want to
disclose her or her family's real identity.
Her first reaction was that of horror:
"My first reaction was: 'How can I deliver my own
son-in-law's baby? No, I can't do this. But my other two
daughters urged me to think about it and I finally
agreed for the happiness of my daughter."
Rekhaben will declare her and her family's real identity
only after the successful delivery.
Six weeks after the delivery, a DNA test will be
conducted on the twins.
The first attempt to implant the embryo was made in May
this year, but it was unsuccessful.
The second attempt was made in June 12. It was
successful, and it was discovered that they were embryos
of twins.
As D-Day approaches, Rekhaben is a relaxed woman,
dividing her time between sewing baby clothes, household
chores and prenatal exercises.
The Patel family has informed the British high
commission about the surrogate motherhood and the
expected delivery to make the process of obtaining visas
for the twins easier.
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