Thursday 16 August 2012

Excerpts from the media coverage of Kiran Infertility Center!

American couples, especially gay men, are having children abroad for less money and with fewer headaches, and India, it seems, has emerged as the ideal surrogate mom destination, according to a report.

According to the report appearing in the website www.thedailybeast.com , Indian surrogacy is now a half-billion dollar industry.

It mentions the case of Mike Griebe and Brad Fister, who tried everything to have a child. They explored adoption. They researched what Griebe termed "a baby factory type deal," where you basically pay for a "ready-made baby." They went to agencies that promise to find babies in the United States.

The Kentucky couple even paid 20,000 dollars to a Virginia woman to be a surrogate, only to walk away when she insisted that if anything happened to Griebe, 38, and Fister, 30, that she would have rights to the baby.

Then, one day, while watching Oprah, they heard about a relatively new way to have a child: using an Indian surrogate.

At first, Griebe and Fister didn't think an Indian surrogate would be an option. "We just dismissed it because when we searched it, we found that most clinics would only deal with traditional couples," says Griebe -meaning straight couples. After searching online, they came across the Web site for KIC - Kiran Infertility Center, that guides foreign couples through the process of hiring a surrogate mother in India.

After talking with Dr Samit, a prominent embryologist in India, the two decided to use Fister's sperm for the pregnancy, and so he flew to India. Fister met his surrogate who, he says, is married with two children and told him the money she's making from the surrogacy will go toward her children's education. Fister says he was surprised at how open the clinic was.

"The whole process was a lot more hands-on than it would be in the U.S.," he says. "You get to see the whole process. I got to watch the embryos go in. Those are things you never get to see here. You follow them the whole way." After one failed attempt and one miscarriage, their surrogate is now due in April.

They get updates, including ultrasounds, via email. "I flew to India and checked out all the clinics," he said, before finally settling on Kiran Infertility Center. Commercial surrogacy was legalized in India in 2002, and it is now estimated to be a 445 million dollar business.

Griebe and Fister say they've spent around 40,000 dollars on the surrogacy process so far. According to the Clinic, 8,000 dollars goes directly to the surrogate mother. Kiran Infertility Center is one of the few to specifically target gay couples.

Homosexuality was only decriminalized in India in July; even though it was rarely prosecuted, it was still a social taboo until a few years ago.

It's illegal for surrogates to be recruited directly by the hospital. Instead, they're found by a social worker at an NGO, according to embryologist Dr. Samit Sekhar. "A year ago, I would have said it was very difficult to recruit a surrogate," says Sekhar. "Now it is becoming much more open. They get a decent amount of money. They get free food, free boarding, and free clothes, and they are housed in a nice place" for 12 months.

Sekhar says that Kiran can house up to 50 surrogates at a time. "They stay at the clinic. The non-pregnant surrogates are housed in an apartment," he says.

For Original article, click here >>

Tuesday 14 August 2012

Kiran Infertility Center Joins the Medical Tourism Congress!

The Medical Tourism Association would like to welcome the Kiran Infertility Center as an Exhibitor at the 4th World Medical Tourism & Global Healthcare Conress held October 25-28th in Chicago, IL!

The Kiran Infertility Center provides the latest updated technology and expertise, with the help of world class equipment and personalized care for making each patients dream come true. KIC has made phenomenal progress in the Super-Specialty of Surrogacy and Infertility treatments. They have exchange of information and expertise with some of the leading Surrogacy and Infertility centres in the world. Thus, there is a constant flow of information on the recent advances in treatments at KIC, which ultimately helps patients attending the center by providing access to new technologies which are only available to only a select few.

For Original article, click here >>

Sunday 12 August 2012

KIC Expansion into the US!

This is my very fist time blogging. I thought I would give it a try in hopes to expand my knowledge of marketing, but also help in building the brand of the Kiran Infertility Center in Hyderabad, India.

My first few months have been dedicated to obtaining egg donors. Having been an egg donor myself previously this is quite simple for me. I am familiar with the process inside and out. However, finding girls who want to travel to India to donate has proven to be a bit more challenging. For every ad I post I get roughly 10 to 15 inquiries, but only receive 2 applications back. I am not sure if young women are intimidated by the length of the application or by the fact that they would have to travel to India if selected. Either way it is my job to help them understand more about India and what a great place it is to travel.

The next big task I have is building the brand here in the US. We at the Kiran Clinic are planning a kick off event on December 10th, 2011 in New York City. This event will be open to press and those who are interested in learning more about our services. I have reached out to so many hotels looking for the best rates, but winter in NY isn't cheap. Also communicating with my team who is across the globe makes for a difficult turn around on decisions. We have the ad purchased and the date set, so hopefully we will pick a great hotel and be ready to move ahead. We hope that after this event in NYC peoples apprehensions about traveling to India for surrogacy will be eased.

One final task that I have as the new US Consultant for the Kiran Infertility Center is obtaining new clients. Reaching out to those who are looking at IVF and surrogacy options overseas. I help with talking to new clients who reach out to us on our website and answering their questions. I have to start bringing in new clients on my own. I have started with attending networking events in my local area, however I am brainstorming on what else I can do.

This is my challenge overall and I hope this blog serves as a learning tool for me and anyone else who happens to read it.

For Original article, click here >>

Friday 10 August 2012

World Medical Tourism Congress in Chicago!


Check out some of my photos from the World Medical Tourism Congress in Chicago last week. It was the first time the Kiran Infertility Center joined this convention. It was a great networking tool along with a learning tool. I also got to meet my co worker from India for the first time, Anjani. We had only ever emailed or talked on the phone, so it was nice to discuss ideas in person.

The baby in the photo is one that was born through surrogacy at KIC. You can also see her brother in the background. It was awesome to introduce babies from our clinic to those interested. I am really starting to love my work!

For Original article, click here >>

Thursday 9 August 2012

NYC Surrogacy Seminar Recap!






It has been a while since I posted last, but due to the holidays it has been busy. The KIC 1st Annual Surrogacy Seminar took place on December 10th, 2011 in New York City at The Empire Hotel. It was a great success attended by an estimated 50 people. It was a chance for potential clients to meet past clients and their babies born through surrogacy. We had a few reporters attend, but I have yet to see anything published. Overall it was a great start to this now annual event. I wanted to share a few photos with you as well.


Enjoy!



For Original article, click here >>

Wednesday 8 August 2012

Inclement Weather Delay - KIC

The weather in Seattle is typically pretty mild, but this week is not one of those weeks. It has been snowing and freezing temps, which also resulted in freezing rain today.

I had two donors from the Seattle area due to depart to India today. In true airline fashion they delayed, delayed and finally cancelled their flight. They were disappointed as they are excited to travel to India to donate (and to warmer weather). Not to fear though because the weather is due to warm up tomorrow. They have enough medication so it won't be affecting their cycles. It is just unfortunate that you can't control the weather.

Seriously watching the news here and nationally they make it seem like it is a national emergency. We only rec'd a few inches in the downtown Seattle area, but with all these hills it makes it more difficult to get around. I can't wait to hear about my donors trip to India while they are there and after the return. It is sure to be an amazing experience for them.

For Original article, click here >>

Tuesday 7 August 2012

New Communications - KIC

It is already Feb, so time has been flying in 2012. In the new year KIC will be launching many new forms of communicating with clients and potential clients.

First we will be launching a newsletter in February. This will be another form of communication to clients about what is happening at KIC. The newsletter is set to cover:

New Clients and their story
Clients and donors who have already traveled to Hyderabad
Interview donors who would like to be highlighted
Pictures of new babies born at KIC
Highlighting staff members at KIC
news regarding surrogacy laws around the world.

We also are planning on attending conventions around the US to build awareness of our clinic. These conventions include medical tourism conventions as well as LGBT conventions. With growing approval of gay marriage these conventions will be a great opportunity to let people know about our surrogacy program.

Finally I received a photo from my team members in India that has all the babies born via surrogacy at our clinic in the month of January. Check it out!

For Original article, click here >>

Sunday 5 August 2012

First Positive Pregnancy Test

Today I received a call from one of my clients about their trip to the clinic in India. She had received the update that her surrogate had a positive pregnancy test. She was so grateful and so appreciative of all the help I had provided. It is still early, but it was a really great feeling to hear the nice things she had to say. This is the first time I have received this call from a client. I hope there are many more calls/emails like this from clients. It just makes all the hard work we do seem so worth it.

In other news I have started working on a newsletter for the clinic. It should be launching before the end of the month. I am also working on redesigning some marketing materials and looking into website redesign. Many exciting things going on for KIC this year. I am so excited to be a part of it. We will also be attending some additional conventions this year. A few that are more business to business, but others that are business to consumer. With same sex marriage on the cusp of being passed in WA State there could be some more opportunities to spread the word about KIC to my local audience. I think overall I would like people to know that you don't need to use an agency or middle man to work with a clinic overseas. I feel like these agencies lead people to believe that they need them, but it is so not the case. It would be ideal for one day to have them eliminated and people can work directly. All the agencies do is raise the rates on people, which in this economy is not needed.

That is all for now, but look forward to hearing more about positive pregnancy tests for surrogates for other clients. I am always sending well wishes out to all my clients. It is such an exciting time.

For Original article, click here >>

Friday 3 August 2012

Kiran Infertility Centre's participation in COGI (Controversies in Obstetrics Gynecology)

Participation of Kiran Infertility Centre in COGI (Controversies in Obstetrics Gynecology & Infertility) held in Singapore from 19th Jul 12 till 22nd Jul 12. This was organized jointly with The College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Singapore.

Kiran Infertility Centre (KIC), Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India, July 26th, 2012- We wish to inform that Dr.Kiran Sekhar and Dr. Samit Sekhar were invited as Chairperson/ Speaker and Speaker respectively at the 16th COGI Congress held in Singapore, July 19-22, 2012. The COGI Congresses are being characterized as the gathering place for worldwide opinion leaders in the fields of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility, in which our Doctors are being counted. Their valuable contribution as such to the academic standard of the Congress assists in placing COGI as one of the leading congresses in our field.

This conference is held annually by Congress MED and Israel based organization and is organized across the globe. This time this conference was organized jointly with The College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Singapore.

According to Dr. Samit Sekhar, Executive Director- KIC, The COGI Congresses provide a unique platform to discuss controversial issues in all fields of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility. It was an exclusive forum for international experts to share and compare experiences, in order to outline appropriate treatment.

Dr. Samit Sekhar further says that scientific Program of the Congress was very good and was aimed to throw light on various topics of Infertility and perhaps one of the only programs across the globe which was discussing Reproductive Tourism.

In Dr. Samit Sekhar's view the world is sitting up to take note of Reproductive Tourism and the true potential of Infertility based Tourism business is yet to unfold, we are still seeing the growth phase of this cycle and it will take quite a while to enter into a stable phase and much more growth is expected and in coming years there will be new players, new markets added.

Dr. Samit Sekhar further adds," Participation in this program has helped us to garner various views about Infertility Treatments across the globe. It highlighted the various opportunities available and the challenges ahead in this global market for Infertility Treatments."

Dr. Samit Sekhar further says that our decision to be a part of Reproductive Tourism Symposium in the Scientific Program was totally based on our need to know the various trends that are evolving across the globe and to address the various challenges ahead in the reproductive tourism arena.

Acknowledging the fact that Kiran Infertility Centre is one of the leading Medical Facilities catering to Reproductive Tourism and having one of the largest clientele from various countries, adding up to the fact of world class services, benchmark success rates, and satisfied Patients in KIC, Dr. Mrs. Kiran D Sekhar was made one of the Chair Person's of this symposium.

Dr. Kiran Sekhar spoke on the topic "Can We Assure Patients Safety and Autonomy Away From Home and The "Pregnancy"? The Kiran Infertility Centre Experience. And Dr. Samit's topic as speaker being "What are the various Motives for Patients to Travel".

For Original article, click here >>

Wednesday 1 August 2012

Positive & Negative Tests

I now have 5 clients who all started at similar times and are at different points in the process. I previously posted about a client who had their surrogate test positive for twins. Great news is that the pregnancy is still going along with twins. She couldn't have expressed her happiness and gratitude more if she tried. It was so sweet how excited she was.

I also have three clients with negative tests the first time round. It is heartbreaking! I can hear the disappointment in their emails/phone calls etc. I try to say positive things to make them feel better, but I can only imagine how they feel. It is such a roller coaster.

Then we go to the next level of client in which their first test was negative, but now their second is positive. I love helping these people and answering all their questions. I hope that for all my clients it turns out to be the best and am keeping my spirits high as I know they are.

For Original article, click here >>

Adopting From India: Babies Without Borders

Many gay men are having biological children for less money and less hassle by seeking surrogacy in India.

While same-sex couples having children is nothing new, there are now more options than ever for those who long to increase the size of their family but are unable to conceive by traditional methods. While lesbians have long utilized artificial insemination to have biological children, gay men have had three options when it comes to raising kids: coparenting with women, adoption, or surrogacy. Fed up with legal headaches and adoption discrimination, many gay and bisexual men have begun thinking outside the box—and out of the country—to fulfill their dreams of becoming parents.

Based in Hyderabad, India, the Kiran Infertility Center has been a leading presence in international surrogacy and infertility for four years, assisting people from 21 countries around the globe. The center offers an all-inclusive surrogacy package for international clients, regardless of nationality or sexual orientation, that handles medical procedures, counseling, lodging, and post-birth legal guidance. As a bonus, there's some local travel and sightseeing, says Samit Sekhar, MD, the clinic's chief embryologist: "The only things intended parents need to do is to inform us of their schedule and arrive in Hyderabad. We take care of the rest."

Sekhar says that unlike at many American clinics, there's no waiting period at Kiran. Once the client signs on, the clinic begins the process by preparing the surrogate and allowing the parents-to-be access to its database of egg donors.

Kiran employs case managers in various cities across the U.S. and Canada (it recently announced its latest addition in Seattle) to assist with medical and other issues and keep clients in the loop with weekly updates. That stateside access offers peace of mind to many would-be dads. And once the baby is born, the clinic provides the legal assistance that helps the new parents obtain a passport and exit visa for their bundle of joy.

The total bill typically comes to $25,000-$40,000, depending on whether the egg donor is a local woman from India or a woman flown in from North America or Europe. It's a far cry from the more typical $80,000 bill for a surrogacy handled in the United States. A U.S. surrogate's fee alone can be up to $25,000, with medical costs, legal fees, additional fees for multiple births, and miscellaneous extras on top of that.

And couples who have previously run into legal or religious barriers while trying to adopt a baby from India needn't fear. Sekhar points out that adoption and surrogacy are two separate legal matters in that country.

"To date, we have not faced any issues regarding surrogacy for same-sex couples from any religious group or from the government," he says. And the proposed Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill 2010, awaiting approval, will codify that surrogacy is available to all couples as long as their relationship is recognized in their own country.

For Original article, click here >>