The story of first surrogate twins born in Vietnam

It’s been three days since the surrogate mother gave birth to twins at Tu Du Hospital, the first such case recorded in Vietnam. The woman said she was glad she could help her niece experience the joy of parenting.

More than anyone, the surrogate mother understood the young couple’s longing for a child after five years of witnessing their failed attempts.

The biological parents are factory workers and were desperate for a child. As a divorcee, and mother of two children, one of whom already deceased, the aunt was faced with a lot of criticism from friends and family for making the decision.

However, an image of two little children running in and out of the house next door was enough for her to overcome the critics, as well as morning sickness and other trials of pregnancy.

According to Dr Vu Minh Ngoc, Deputy Head of the Infertility Department at Tu Du Hospital, the biological mother, who was born in 1987, suffers from a condition that results in her having no menstrual cycle. Ultrasound test showed that her uterus was missing, which means she could not bear children.

This left the young woman devastated. She was among the first to seek advice from the hospital after surrogacy was legalized in Vietnam in 2015.

Ngoc said that, luckily, she had functioning ovaries. However, each ovary had only three to four small follicles. The longer she waited, the lower her chances of being a mother would become.

“At the time, the circular on procedures for surrogacy had not been issued yet. If we waited, too much time would be wasted. Therefore, the doctors decided to go ahead with in-vitro fertilization,” said Ngoc.

Once all the paper work was completed, the doctors implanted the embryo in the aunt’s uterus. The process was smooth as the surrogate had been pregnant before and was in good health.

The twin boys were born prematurely but healthy, weighing 2.1 kg and 1.9kg at 10:35 on March 16.

As the babies were born prematurely, they were under hospital care for three days. Photo by Le Phuong.

According to the doctors, proper medical care is not the sole reason behind the success of this case. Mental support plays a crucial role. Additionally, close communication between the two mothers will help the babies become attached to their biological mother without hurting the feelings of the surrogate. The twins also have the right to know the woman who bore them.

This is the first time twins were born in a surrogacy in Vietnam while the first surrogate baby was born on January 22, 2016 in Hanoi.