Q.What is surrogate mother?
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Imagine you have a friend who wants to have a baby, but nature isn't cooperating. Maybe the fallopian tubes are blocked, or the sperm count is very low, or the woman's age makes it difficult. For decades, that was the end of the story. But today, doctors have a toolkit of medical procedures that can step in and help — that toolkit is called Assisted Reproductive Technology, or ART.
At its simplest, ART is any medical technique that handles a human egg or sperm outside the body to help a person get pregnant. The most famous example is IVF (in vitro fertilisation), where the egg and sperm are combined in a lab dish — "in vitro" means "in glass" — and the resulting embryo is then placed into the woman's uterus. But ART is broader than just IVF. It includes everything from injecting a single sperm directly into an egg (ICSI) to using a donor's egg or sperm, or even having another woman carry the pregnancy (surrogacy).
The NCERT textbook (Class 12 Biology, Chapter 4) defines ART as all techniques that involve the direct handling of gametes (sperm and eggs) or embryos outside the body to achieve pregnancy. This is the key distinction: if the procedure doesn't involve handling eggs, sperm, or embryos in a lab, it's not ART.
Why does this matter for a commerce or humanities student? Because ART is not just a medical story — it's a social, legal, and economic one. It raises questions about who can afford it (it's expensive), who gets to be a parent (single people, same-sex couples), and what happens to unused embryos (legal and ethical debates). In India, the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021 now governs these procedures, requiring clinics to be registered and banning commercial surrogacy for foreigners. So when you read about "test-tube babies" or "surrogacy laws" in the news, you're looking at ART in action.
Here are the main techniques you should know, as listed in the NCERT:
- IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation): Egg and sperm are mixed in a lab dish. The embryo is then transferred to the uterus.
- ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection): A single sperm is injected directly into an egg. Used when sperm count is very low.
- GIFT (Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer): Eggs and sperm are placed directly into the fallopian tube, so fertilisation happens inside the body.
- ZIFT (Zygote Intrafallopian Transfer): A fertilised egg (zygote) is placed into the fallopian tube. …
A surrogate mother is a woman who agrees to carry and give birth to a baby for another couple, usually because the intended mother cannot sustain a pregnancy. …
A surrogate mother bears and delivers a child for another couple who cannot carry a pregnancy themselves.
When a woman is unable to carry a baby in her own uterus (for example due to a uterine problem or repeated pregnancy loss), the couple may use surrogacy as an assisted reproductive option. An embryo, usually produced by in-vitro fertilization (IVF) using the couple's own gametes, is transferred into the uterus of another consenting woman - the surrogate mother. She carries the pregnancy to term and delivers the baby, which is then handed over to the intended parents. Sh …
Showing the 12 most recent of 21 on this concept.
- CBSE 2026Set A1 markMCQQ.What is it called when an embryo having more than eight blastomeres is transferred to the uterus for development?(a) IVF(b) Intrauterine Transfer(c) Zygote Intra-fallopian Transfer(d) ICSI
›Reveal solutionSolution
An embryo with more than 8 blastomeres is placed in the uterus by Intrauterine Transfer (IUT); an early embryo (up to 8 blastomeres) goes into the fallopian tube (ZIFT).
In assisted reproductive technologies, embryos produced in the laboratory are transferred into the female. If the embryo is at an early stage — up to the 8-blastomere stage — it is transferred into the fallopian tube by Zygote Intra-Fallopian Transfer (ZIFT). If the embryo has more than 8 blastomeres, it is transferr …
- CBSE 2026Set ZOOLOGY1 markMCQQ.In the assisted reproductive technique, GIFT, the collected sperm and egg are transferred to which organ of the female?(a) Uterus(b) Vagina(c) Urethra(d) Fallopian tube
›Reveal solutionSolution
GIFT stands for Gamete Intra-Fallopian Transfer - collected sperm and egg are transferred into the fallopian tube.
GIFT is an Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) used to help couples who cannot conceive naturally, especially those with a healthy uterus but who cannot produce an ovum (e.g., due to ovarian issues). In this technique, an ovum from a donor female is collected and transferred, along with the sperm, into the fallopian tube (oviduct) of the recipi …
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The technique by which sperm is directly injected into the ovum, is(a) ZIFT(b) GIFT(c) ZIUT(d) ICSI
›Reveal solutionSolution
ICSI is an assisted reproductive technique where a sperm is directly injected into an ovum's cytoplasm, bypassing the need for natural sperm penetration.
Among assisted reproductive technologies (ART):
- ZIFT (Zygote Intra-Fallopian Transfer) transfers an early embryo/zygote formed in the lab into the fallopian tube.
- GIFT (Gamete Intra-Fallopian Transfer) transfers an ovum collected from a donor into the fallopian tube of another female who cannot produce her own ova. …
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markQ.Case Study - 1. Read the passage given below and answer the following questions : In case of an infertile couple male has abnormally low sperm count in ejaculation and female has blocked oviduct & has spermicidal secretions in vagina but can provide suitable environment for development of embryo. What is infertility ?
›Reveal solutionSolution
Infertility is diagnosed when a couple fails to achieve conception/pregnancy despite regular unprotected sex over an extended period, and can arise from a defect/deficiency in either partner.
Infertility is defined as the inability of a couple to produce/conceive a child even after normal, unprotected sexual cohabitation for a reasonable period of time (typically taken as one year or more of regular attempts). Its causes can be physical, congenital, disease-related, drug/immunological or even purely psychological, and may lie with either the male partner (e.g. low sperm count, blocked ducts), the female partner (e.g. blocked oviducts, hormonal issues), or both. In cases such as the one described here — a male with an abnormally low sperm count and a …
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markQ.Refer to the Case Study - 1 passage above (infertile couple with low sperm count and blocked oviduct with spermicidal vaginal secretions). Suggest ART used in above case.
›Reveal solutionSolution
Since the female's oviduct is blocked (preventing normal gamete transport and fertilisation in vivo) but her uterus can support an embryo, and the male has a low sperm count, the couple needs fertilisation to happen OUTSIDE the body, followed by placing the resulting embryo directly into the uterus (or an unblocked part of the oviduct).
Given that (i) the female partner has a blocked oviduct — meaning sperm and egg cannot naturally meet or the fertilised egg cannot travel down to the uterus — but her uterus can support embryonic development, and (ii) the male partner has a low sperm count, the appropriate ART is:
- IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation): ova collected from the female and sperm from the male are made to fuse in the laboratory ('test tube baby' technique) — this fertilisation step does not require an unblocked oviduct.
- ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection): used alongside IVF because of the male's low sperm count, a single healthy sperm is directly injected into the ovum to ensure fertilisation. …
- CBSE 2025Set X11 markMCQQ.Which one among the following ART can be used to rectify if the infertility is due to low sperm count?(a) GIFT(b) IUT(c) ZIFT(d) IUI
›Reveal solutionSolution
Intra-uterine insemination (IUI) is used to overcome infertility due to low sperm count.
In IUI, semen collected either from the husband or a healthy donor is artificially introduced into the uterus of the female. It is the assisted reproductive technology specifically recommended when the male partner is unable to inseminate the female or has a very low sperm count. GIFT transfers an ovum/gamete into the fallopian tube of a female who …
- CBSE 2025Set KH1 markQ.Write the full form of abbreviation I.V.F.
›Reveal solutionSolution
I.V.F. = In Vitro Fertilisation — fertilisation done outside the body in the lab.
Concept. In IVF, ova collected from the female and sperm from the male are combined in vitro (literally 'in glass', i.e. in a laboratory dish). The resulting zygote/early embryo is then transferred back — an embryo up to the 8-blastomere stage is placed in the fallopian tube (ZIFT) and later stages into the uterus (IU …
- CBSE 2025Set F1 markMCQQ.At which of the following stages is the embryo transferred to fallopian tube?(a) 8-celled embryo(b) 32-celled embryo(c) Zygote(d) Zygote or 8-celled embryo
›Reveal solutionSolution
Assisted transfer into the fallopian tube uses a zygote or an early embryo up to the 8-celled stage (ZIFT).
Among assisted reproductive technologies, in ZIFT (Zygote Intra Fallopian Transfer) the zygote or an early cleaving embryo with up to 8 blastomeres is introduced into the fallopian tube. (An embryo of more than 8 blastomeres is instead transferred into the uterus — IUT …
- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.Transfer of ovum collected from a donor into the fallopian tube of another female is called(a) ZIFT(b) GIFT(c) SUZI(d) ICSI
›Reveal solutionSolution
GIFT is the specific assisted reproductive technology procedure that transfers a donor's ovum into a recipient female's fallopian tube.
GIFT stands for Gamete Intra-Fallopian Transfer, an assisted reproductive technique in which an ovum collected from a donor female is transferred into the fallopian tube of another female who cannot produce her own ova but can carry a pregnancy. ZIFT (a) refers to transfer of a zygote (formed by in-vitro fertilization) into the fallopian tube; ICSI (d, Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection) involves directly injecting a s …
- CBSE 2024Set 57/1/11 markMCQQ.For Questions number 13 to 16, two statements are given — one labelled as Assertion (A) and the other labelled as Reason (R). Select the correct answer to these questions from the codes (A), (B), (C) and (D) as given below. (A) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of the Assertion (A). (B) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of the Assertion (A). (C) Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false. (D) Assertion (A) is false, but Reason (R) is true. Assertion (A): The laws of our country permit legal adoption and it is as yet, one of the best methods for childless couples looking for parenthood. Reason (R): Emotional, religious and social factors are no deterrents to the legal adoption of orphaned and destitute children in India.
›Reveal solutionSolution
The Assertion is true — legal adoption is a permitted and valued method for childless couples — but the Reason is false, because emotional, religious, and social factors do act as deterrents to adoption in India.
This is an Assertion-Reason question drawn from NCERT Class-12 Biology, Chapter 4 "Reproductive Health," in the section on Infertility. The chapter notes that legal adoption is one option available to infertile couples wishing to have a child, alongside Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) methods such as IVF, ZIFT, GIFT, and artificial insemination.
Examining the Assertion: India's legal framework — including personal-law adoption statutes and the secular Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 — permits legal adoption, and it remains one of the most widely available, legitimate routes to parenthood for couples unable to conceive. The Assertion is therefore true.
Examining the Reason: The Reason claims that emotional, religious, and social factors are no deterrent to adoption. In practice, the opposite is true. Many couples in India still hesitate to adopt because of the emotional preference for a biological child, religious/cultural expectations (such as the wish for a biological heir), and the social stigma attached to a child "not of one's own blood." These are real, well-recognised deterrents — so the Reason, as stated, is false. …
- CBSE 2024Set GG1 markQ.Write the full form of MTP and ZIFT.
›Reveal solutionSolution
MTP = Medical Termination of Pregnancy; ZIFT = Zygote Intra Fallopian Transfer.
MTP (Medical Termination of Pregnancy): the intentional/induced termination of pregnancy before full term (also called induced abortion); legalised in India in 1971 and used to remove unwanted pregnancies and to safeguard the mother's health.
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- CBSE 2024Set D1 markQ.Answer in one sentence: Write the full form of ZIFT.
›Reveal solutionSolution
ZIFT stands for Zygote Intra-Fallopian Transfer, an assisted reproductive technique used to treat infertility.
Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) are special techniques designed to help couples who are unable to conceive naturally. One such technique, in vitro fertilisation (IVF, popularly called the 'test-tube baby' programme), involves fertilising the ovum with sperm outside the body, in a laboratory.
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