The New Gene Preference: Why IVF Couples Are Choosing Strength over Status
By Health Correspondent, Ms.Nupur | Townhall Times | New Delhi | October 4, 2025
A growing number of IVF couples in India are choosing sperm donors from SC, ST, and OBC backgrounds — not for social status, but for perceived strength, resilience, and emotional stability. Doctors call it a quiet revolution in India’s fertility choices.
In every era, people have longed to leave behind something that endures — a mark that carries their name and values. For rulers, it was dynasties and monuments. For ordinary families, it’s their children — the living legacy of their existence.
But in modern India, science has given parents the power to make choices about that legacy. And a quiet question echoes through fertility clinics: What kind of child do they want to bring into the world?
The answer, doctors say, is shifting. Today’s IVF couples are not just asking for beauty, IQ, or fair skin. They’re asking for something far more primal — resilience, toughness, and the strength to face adversity.
Changing Choices in IVF Clinics
Across major fertility centres in India, a subtle but striking trend has emerged. Couples seeking IVF treatment are increasingly asking for sperm donors from Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Other Backward Class (OBC) communities — citing mental and physical endurance as key reasons.
At BloomLife IVF Centre, Delhi, Senior Consultant Dr. Shalini Verma says:
“Earlier, people preferred donors with high education or fair skin. Now, almost 30% of couples ask for donors from ‘resilient social backgrounds’. They believe individuals who’ve faced hardship develop stronger emotional and physical endurance.”
A couple undergoing treatment at the clinic explained:
“We don’t care about class or complexion. We want a child with the will to survive and the strength to rebuild, no matter what life throws at them.”
The Psychology Behind the Shift
At Harmony Fertility Centre, Pune, Medical Director Dr. Rahul Deshmukh believes this change reflects evolving perceptions of strength:
“It’s not about caste pride — it’s about psychological traits. Couples today equate struggle with adaptability. They feel people from challenging backgrounds develop better coping mechanisms and practical intelligence.”
He notes that this curiosity about “diverse donors” is growing among well-educated, urban families too.
Beyond Beauty and Intelligence
At MotherNest Reproductive Clinic, Lucknow, Senior Gynecologist Dr. Farah Khan observes that couples in their 30s and 40s now seek donors who represent “mental and emotional endurance.”
“The idea of designer babies once meant perfection — height, colour, brilliance. Now, people want endurance, not perfection. They want children who can stand tall amid uncertainty.”
Dr. Khan adds that while genes influence traits, upbringing and emotional environment shape resilience more deeply.
The Science and the Ethics
Globally, debates around designer babies — from China’s gene-editing experiments to the West’s genetic testing boom — highlight the limits of science in shaping human character.
At GraceHope IVF Institute, Chennai, Director Dr. Leela Subramaniam explains:
“We can screen for hereditary diseases or certain physical traits. But courage, empathy, and perseverance cannot be engineered in a lab. Those qualities evolve through complex genes and life experiences.”
She warns that ethical and moral costs will always outweigh attempts to “design” emotional or moral traits.
A Redefinition of Strength
In a country where caste once symbolized division, the idea that couples now associate resilience with marginalized communities is quietly revolutionary. It marks a shift in what Indian families value in their next generation — not social privilege, but survival strength.
As Dr. Verma sums up:
“This isn’t just about choosing a donor. It’s about redefining what strength means in our times. The world is unpredictable, and parents want children prepared — not just privileged.”
A Reflection of a Changing India
Experts view this as more than a fertility trend — it’s a psychological evolution.
Where once families sought fair skin and social class, they now seek emotional depth and grit. Perhaps this change signals a deeper truth: real strength isn’t inherited from privilege — it’s built through struggle.
Tags: IVF India, Fertility Trends, Gene Selection, Health News, Social Psychology, Medical Ethics, Parenthood Choices, Townhall Times Feature
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IVF trends India, sperm donor preference, SC ST OBC donors, IVF clinics India, genetic resilience, designer babies, fertility treatment India, new parenting trends, Townhall Times Health Report
Names and identities of IVF centres and individuals mentioned in this report have been changed to protect privacy and confidentiality
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