Plan in advance for high costs of IVF, surrogacy; consider insurance

Couples opting for surrogacy must bear medical expenses, buy health insurance for the surrogate

Lekhni Ishman, 45, an Instagram influencer who lives in Mumbai, and her husband have been trying to have a child for 12 years. Despite several failed in vitro fertilisation (IVF) cycles, the couple still wants to try a few more times.

“An unsuccessful IVF cycle is both emotionally and financially taxing. We wish we had known what we were getting into financially before taking the plunge. If we don’t succeed, surrogacy is our other option,” says Ishman, whose name was changed in this story to maintain her privacy.
 

IVF: Heavy on the pocket
 

An IVF procedure is expensive. “In India, the