What is a clinic anyway?

The clinic we've selected, Surrogacy India (SI), doesn't actually perform medical procedures like IVF. Rather, SI is more of a middle man (middle woman?) with a couple bonus services thrown in. If you're familiar with agencies like NEEDS and Circle Surrogacy here in Massachusetts then you have the idea. Here's a list of SI's core services:

• screening intended parent applicants for general health and medical necessity (they're not going to work with a couple simply too lazy to get pregnant on their own)
• identifying gestational carrier candidates (unlike with other India-based clinics, SI gives intended parents the option to review profiles and select a carrier)
• coordinating care of the gestational carrier
• initiating and managing the relationship between intended parents and the IVF clinic of their choice (SI's preferred IVF center is Babies and Us)
• arranging all financial transactions
  
• providing legal services, including drafting and signing of various surrogacy contracts
• smoothing out the passport and visa application process in preparation for taking the newborn(s) home
• supporting logistical needs such as hotel selection, airport pickups and even site-seeing
• reducing instances of panic, doubt and concern

[Ok, I added the last one but frankly, that's what Shannon and I felt about surrogacy in India in the first place.]

In comparison to many of the other Indian clinics we considered, SI appears to be taking what I'll carelessly label a more Western approach - meaning there's a greater level of formality and a greater level of involvement on the part of the clinic to manage the entire process. A common warning shared by other couples working with India clinics was to be prepared for long delays in response time and to be self-sufficient and aggressive. Now there's a few uplifting tips! To date, Dr. Sudhir - SI's Founder and Director - has not given us any reason to doubt his clinic's ability to fulfill the promise I just laid out. Of course, as we've only just started the process, our optimistic expectations may be shattered after just two steps in the Mumbia airport. But we won't think such thoughts, will we?

Side note: Our fertility doctor asked an India-based colleague (another reproductive endocrinologist) to investigate Babies and Us. Turns out, despite a disconcertingly corny name, they're considered the leading IVF center in India. I'm sure opinions vary - there's a host of great IVF centers in India - but you can imagine the relief. So Babies and Us? Thrilled are We!