|
Looking for a
Surrogate Mother or an egg donor?
This book
is a moving real-life account of one woman's struggle
with infertility and her journey through surrogacy to
have the family she desperately wanted.
Click here
for more details
Latest Surrogacy News
Surrogate mother gives birth to her
grandchildren
January 29, 2004
Telegraph
A woman has given birth to
her own grandchildren after acting as a surrogate mother
for her daughter and son-in-law, it has emerged.
The
couple, who live in Ilford in Essex, were said to be
"very happy" after the 43-year-old woman gave birth to
healthy twins - a boy and a girl - by Caesarean section.
The
birth, which took place a few days ago, happened in
Gujarat in India, where the grandmother lives.
Fertility
expert Dr Nayana Patel, who carried out the IVF
treatment and was present at the birth, said it was an
unusual situation but one she was happy to be involved
in.
"The
couple approached me and the grandmother offered to help
them as they really wanted to have a baby," she said.
The
birth, which will spark concern among reproductive
ethics campaign groups, was first reported in London's
Evening Standard.
The
babies' grandfather told the newspaper: "It was a very
emotional moment, even more emotional than the birth of
my own first child."
The young
woman, 26, has a rare congenital condition - Rokitansky
syndrome - which means the uterus does not develop
normally and she cannot give birth.
But the
couple were able to have IVF treatment to produce the
embryos which were then implanted into her mother.
Dr Patel,
a private fertility doctor in Gujarat, said: "The IVF
was technically more difficult in this case because she
didn't have a uterus.
"But the
grandmother had no complications and was totally healthy
during the pregnancy."
Dr Patel
said the baby boy weighed 4.4lb and the girl weighed
4lb. Neither has yet been named.
She said:
"The whole family is really happy. They say they are not
just over the moon but they are on Mars."
The
couple, who have asked not to be named, are expected to
return to Britain in two months.
back to top |
