Surrogacy Market Trends

Growth Drivers

• Increasing acceptance of assisted reproductive technologies - The surrogacy market is primarily driven by the increasing acceptability and utilization of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). For individuals who struggled with conception, surrogacy offered a workable way to becoming a mother. Advances in medical technology, success rates, and public knowledge of surrogacy as a reproductive option all contributed to the market's rise. According to the statistics of CDC; 167,689 of the 413,776 ART cycles carried out in 2021 involved egg or embryo banking cycles, in which all of the produced eggs or embryos were saved for later use.
• Worldwide tourism for surrogacy - Surrogacy tourism has increased in nations with surrogacy-friendly legislative and regulatory environments, and it is currently expanding globally. This development allowed persons from economies with expensive or restrictive surrogacy laws to use the convenient and reasonably priced surrogacy solutions available in other countries. The surrogacy market in these areas was further stimulated by the influx of overseas clients. Currently, people from outside India, primarily non-resident Indians, commission around 10% of surrogacies.
• Developments in reproductive technologies - The advancements in reproductive medicine have improved the safety and effectiveness of surrogacy. Innovations like IVF, genetic screening, and embryo transfer techniques increase the likelihood and success rate of pregnancy, which makes surrogacy appealing to people who want to establish or expand their families.
  
  For example, in gestational surrogacy, the pregnancy success rate per embryo transfer varies from 30% to 60%. The use of younger, healthier surrogates could result in higher success rates. In the US, 2% of babies born were created with the use of assisted reproductive technologies. Although success rates differ, the caliber of the eggs and embryos has a direct bearing on them. The live birth rate of PGT-tested embryos is 75–80%.

Challenges

• Legal and moral difficulties - One of the main barriers to the surrogacy market is the intricate legal and ethical framework around the practice. Different countries have different laws regarding surrogacy; in some, it is outright prohibited. These legal ambiguities as well as potential moral dilemmas between intended parents and the child bearer may seriously obstruct the market's growth.
• Significant expenses and barriers to finance - Surrogacy is an expensive process that involves numerous charges, such as agency fees, legal fees, medical costs, and surrogate compensation. Many single people and couples are discouraged from choosing surrogacy due to the financial hardship, which is exacerbated by a larger issue with firms that have little insurance coverage in this situation, raising expenses and impeding surrogacy market growth.