Wanted: ‘Perfect’ donors for ‘perfect’ babies

Looks do matter, at least to affluent Mumbaikars who flock IVF centres looking for female egg donors. Many infertile couples are spending a considerable amount of time hunting for a 'beautiful' donor. And they are being assisted in their pursuit by various overzealous IVF clinics that are going all out to cater to the needs of their ever-expanding client base. Doctors not only share the photographs of the donors with anxious parents to confirm physical beauty, they also arrange meetings between the couple and the donor. This despite the fact that the guidelines issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) prohibit disclosure of the donor's identity to the recipient.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg. An investigation by DNA into the Assisted Reproductive Therapy (ART) practices at various Mumbai-based IVF clinics has found that women who donate their eggs to help other women have babies are often cheated, misled and not adequately compensated. This is happening at a time when most doctors agree that female donors are not easy to come by.

However, there is...