Iran International:

A widespread network of brokers online are working to facilitate a trade in eggs, sperm, embryos and surrogate wombs, Iranian newspaper Ham-Mihan reported in an investigation.

The report on Wednesday details how the transactions are advertised using coded language such as "work from home" on platforms like Divar - a popular Iranian online classifieds site - Instagram and Telegram.

Iran's lack of a clear legal framework governing the donation of reproductive cells and embryos has allowed the brokers to flourish, with some even collaborating directly with doctors.

The advertisements primarily target young adults aged 18 to 31, with varying prices, Ham-Mihan added. Surrogacy typically costs between 3 and 4 billion rials (approximately $3,750 to $5,000), plus an additional 90 million rials (less than $110) paid monthly to the surrogate until delivery.

In May, Tejarat News, another Iranian news outlet, reported a wider range for surrogacy costs, from 4 to 9 billion rials (roughly $5,000 to $11,000). Citing a gynecologist and a maternity ward nurse, it reported that individuals born in the 1990s are the most common surrogates.

Ham-Mihan reported that sellers are required to provide a physician-certified ultrasound confirming the size and reserve of each ovary, along with a certified copy of their national identity card obtained through a designated notary public.

Go to link