Wealthy Indian couples pay crores abroad for IVF gender-selection to secure a son

India’s persistently low sex-ratio at birth—929 girls per 1,000 boys—has spurred a growing number of affluent couples to seek overseas IVF and surrogacy services that promise a male child. Investigations reveal that Indian patients are flocking to clinics in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Georgia, Colombia and, to a lesser extent, Egypt, where pre-implantation genetic testing for sex is permitted. Packages, which bundle PGT-A, IVF and surrogacy, range from ₹15 lakh to ₹1.7 crore, with Georgia offering the cheapest gender-selection price at about $16,360 versus $33,760 in the US.

Clinics often advertise a “24-hour Dubai” egg-retrieval visit before the embryos are transferred later, and social-media reels actively court Indian clients. Dr Deepak Gulati’s New York facility sees roughly 100 Indian couples each month, half of whom request a boy, a demand he attributes to India’s restrictive 2022 ART law on surrogacy and egg donation. The trend reflects both cultural preference for sons and the expanding network of overseas fertility centers, despite tighter visa rules and US “birth-tourism” restrictions.