Chinese Couples Come to Taiwan for IVF|陸客來台借卵求子增 每年逾50對夫妻

The number of Chinese tourists has dropped in recent years but the number of Chinese coming to Taiwan to undergo in vitro fertilization is growing. Taiwan's success rate is one reason and half of the couples who come for the procedure are from China.


32-year old Ms. Wang comes from China's Guangzhou Province. She suffers from premature ovarian failure and has been unable to bear a child in the last five years. Her friend recommended that she come to Taiwan to undergo in vitro fertilization.

My friend has undergone in vitro fertilization in this hospital and praised the doctor's skills. Because it is legal to do egg donations in Taiwan, she recommended that I come here and try my luck.

Like Ms. Wang, there has been an increasing number of women who travel from China to Taiwan to undergo the procedure. After China relaxed its one-child policy, many women want to be a mother for the second time. According to figures from Taiwanese Society for Reproductive Medicine, around 100 couples come to Taiwan to undergo in vitro fertilization each year, half of them come from China. The procedure costs around NT$ 600,000. After adding travel and accommodations, there can be NT$ 60 million in related business opportunities. Some doctors believe that Taiwanese clinics' high success rate is the reason why so many are willing to travel over.

The success of an in vitro fertilization depends on the software and hardware quality of the laboratory. The level of cleanness (inside the lab) directly affects the success rate of the procedure.

Currently, foreign nationals who want to come to Taiwan for in vitro fertilization need to apply for medical visas and other documents. The process could take several months, and foreign nationals could only stay for 15 days. Some doctors have suggested that the government simplify the visa application process in order to benefit more infertile couples and to bring more revenue to the reproductive industry.