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Why wait, adopt an embryo now
Embryo adoption is a unique way for mothers to deliver their adopted children, reports Aditya Ghosh.
At what age is a child most 'adoption-ready'? For Wendy Duncan, it was even before the first cell of life started multiplying. She adopted an embryo from India. The Caucasian woman gave birth to a daughter — an ethnic South Asian — in the UK after nurturing her in her womb for 36 weeks.
Embryo adoption is offering a unique opportunity to mothers to deliver their adopted children. Also, embryo adoption is far cheaper and the process shorter than a complete in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) cycle.
Duncan's daughter was born on June 4 and she is already planning a visit to Mumbai for another embryo adoption. "My daughter's origin is none of my concern — I nurtured her and delivered her," she told HT from her home in Market Rasen town in Lincolnshire county.
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| Wendy and Brian with their daughter. (HT photo) |
Brian, her lorry driver husband, found out about facilities available in India and contacted doctors. "Such a procedure is not possible in the UK and there is a long queue for adoptions," she said.
Sperm and egg banks are developing embryos by fertilising sperms and eggs in different permutations and combinations. Often, IVF specialists develop multiple embryos for a couple going through a full IVF cycle. After one is successfully implanted, the rest are frozen for future use.
Indian are also realising the benefits. "People discriminate between an adopted child and a biological offspring. Even the family members were hard to convince. So my husband and I decided to go for this," said Ayesha Khanam (name changed), a Bandra resident who adopted an embryo in October. But she refused to be photographed.
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