From the outside, it’s a two-room apartment. However, within its walls, it’s a barn for 15 surrogate mothers, all at various stages of pregnancy. The mini-surrogacy hub is located in Prabhadevi, which is just around the corner from the famous Siddhivinayak temple. 

This small commune of women have been kept in the rented room by the Rotunda clinic in Bandra. Rotunda, which markets itself on the internet as www.iwannagetpregnant.com, is India’s first “first Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Trans-gender friendly clinic”, mostly for overseas couples.

In the tiny apartments, the 15 women sleep on mattresses on the floor and spend a good portion of their pregnancies together. The dense population and high oestrogen levels result in some intense arguments – but they are given proper meals, regular medication and a resident maid to clean.

“In most cases, there is no regular source of income as their husbands are either not working or have left them," said Anita Soni, a gynaecologist at Hiranandani hospital who deals with patients from Rotunda. "Some of these women have never seen more than 50 rupees in their entire lives. Now they're earning in lakhs [100,000 rupees/US$1800] and providing better education to their own children," she added.

Some of the women are so desperate for money that they sign up under false pretences. Soni noted a recent case in which a 38-year-old woman, considered too old for surrogacy, pretended to be 32. Complications arose during the pregnancy, and the delivery was premature. The baby had to spend time in neonatal intensive care but survived. “The woman had lied to us because she desperately needed money. Her son-in-law had thrown out her 19-year-old daughter because they had been unable to pay dowry,” Soni said. ~ Times of India, Dec 12