Putting a price tag on pregnancy

Carrying a child for nine months is now a paid ‘job’ in India. Surrogates in Anand can earn as much as USD 7500 (£5000) and 50 pounds per month for the term of their pregnancy.

However this is only a paltry sum compared to the amount the infertility clinic itself gets paid which can be as much as USD 20,000 (£13000).

Dr Hitesh Patel co-owner of, and legal advisor to, Akanksha Infertility Clinic, Anand justifies the large amounts the clinic is paid saying: “This payment is made towards I.V.F. Besides, the clinic has to take care of the surrogate for nine months, her medicines, her tests etc.”

Being an unregulated practice the price of a surrogacy can vary from clinic to clinic

An Australian couple, Trevor Elwell and Peter West, paid USD 40,000 (£26000) to a clinic in Mumbai for a surrogacy arrangement.

They had to pay a premium on the normal price because their surrogate was carrying twins.The couple said they ended up paying around 76,000 dollars in all, taking into account expenses of their trip to India.

Trevor Elwell says of his Mumbai experience, “The doctors are businessman first, doctors second. They are all like give me money, give me money.”