Demand expands after introduction of two-child policy
The underground trading of human egg has developed into an industry chain and its advertising has become rampant in China's universities, media reported.
The underground trade received a new impetus from China's two-child policy, as many older women who now want a second child are unable to conceive naturally, China has no egg banks and banned the trading of eggs in hospitals.
A human egg trade intermediary posted an ad on WeChat claiming that they provide full service for clients, and that many infertile couples have successfully given birth to babies after receiving the company's treatment, the Modern Express newspaper reported.
The price displayed on the ads usually ranges from 10,000 yuan to 50,000 yuan ($1,472-$7,360), targeting girls aged 18 to 26 years, according to the report.
Egg donators with good looks and better education are usually offered more, the human egg trade intermediary told the newspaper, adding that they can satisfy all the demands of egg buyers.
"One of my classmates donated her egg to an infertile couple for a total of 300,000 yuan," Wang Fan (pseudonym), a former university student in Beijing, told the Global Times.
"I guess she did this even though it was illegal because she was in urgent need of some money," added Wang.
The Beijing News reported last year that young women at Beijing universities receive text messages advertising demand for eggs to be used in infertility treatment.
The big supply and demand gap in infertility treatments also contributed to the boom of the industry. China has given 432 hospitals permission to use assisted reproductive technology, with around 700,000 procedures performed per year, the China News Service reported.
However, the demand exceeds supply in part because more than 40 million people of child-bearing age are infertile, accounting for around 15 percent of all people of reproductive age, The Beijing News reported Tuesday.
Though underground agents and doctors could be given years in jail for illegal business operation and illegal medical practices, convictions are rare, which makes the deterrent ineffective, Yang Huilin, a lawyer from the Guangzhou office of Yingke Law Firm, previously told the Global Times.
Meanwhile, the underground service also has its risks, such as safety of operations in an unsanitary environment and guardianship of children when disputes arise.
According to Wang, private information of her classmate was leaked to other students in the class by the infertile couple due to their personal conflicts.
