Egg Donation and Surrogacy for Foreigners in Nepal
INACTIVE
Egg donation and surrogacy have become popular options for couples experiencing infertility around the world. In Nepal, these services were available to foreigners for several years, but in recent years, the laws and regulations surrounding these services have become increasingly restrictive.
Eggspecting was a prominent agency that facilitated the travel of foreign donors from America, Europe, and South Africa to Nepal from late 2014 to early 2015, becoming the only American agency to do so. However, Eggspecting ceased its operations in Nepal just before the devastating earthquake struck in April of 2015.
Although Nepal was an interesting country, it was marred by pollution and a lack of comfortable accommodations for our donors. Additionally, the clinics and hospitals in Nepal left much to be desired. The earthquake caused extensive damage, and clients of all surrogacy agencies suffered significant losses, including the destruction of embryos due to power outages in long-term cryo tanks. Tragically, some babies in the NICU were unable to survive despite the heroic efforts of the nursing staff
The history of egg donation and surrogacy in Nepal can be traced back to the early 2000s, when a few clinics began offering these services to foreigners. Due to Nepal’s affordable healthcare system, coupled with the relatively low cost of living, the country quickly became an attractive destination for couples seeking infertility treatments.
By the mid-2010s, Nepal had become a major destination for surrogacy services, with clinics catering to foreign couples seeking affordable and accessible options for starting a family. The country’s surrogacy industry was estimated to be worth around $30 million by 2014, with hundreds of babies being born to surrogate mothers each year.
However, in 2015, the Nepalese government moved to ban commercial surrogacy for foreigners, citing concerns about exploitation and the lack of legal protections for surrogates. The government’s decision came after several high-profile cases of surrogacy gone wrong, including a case in which a surrogate mother refused to give up the baby she had carried for an Australian couple.
Following the government’s ban on commercial surrogacy, the surrogacy industry in Nepal declined sharply. Many clinics were shut down, and surrogacy services became much harder to come by. However, egg donation remained legal, and some clinics continued to offer these services.
In 2018, the Nepalese government introduced new regulations that made it much harder for foreigners to access egg donation and surrogacy services in the country. The new regulations required that surrogates and egg donors be Nepalese citizens, effectively ending the industry for foreign couples.
In conclusion, the history of egg donation and surrogacy for foreigners in Nepal has been a tumultuous one. While the country was once a major destination for surrogacy services, the government’s ban on commercial surrogacy in 2015 and subsequent regulations in 2018 ended the industry for foreign couples. Egg donation remains legal, but the new regulations have made it almost impossible for foreigners to access these services in Nepal. The future of assisted reproduction services in Nepal remains uncertain, as the government continues to tighten regulations around these services.