In recent days, an illegal surrogacy operation was exposed in a villa area in Linping District, Hangzhou. A 44-year-old woman named Mrs. Zhang, who was trying to conceive, spent 100,000 RMB to sign a contract for a surrogacy package at the facility. After undergoing two failed embryo transfers, she developed several gynecological issues.
According to reports from Daxiang News, in April of this year, 44-year-old Mrs. Zhang, who had been unable to get pregnant, decided to explore assisted reproductive technologies through IVF. She searched for information on social media platforms and selected a surrogacy agency called “Shengbao Surrogacy Agency” located in the Hangzhou area.
The agency staff claimed that “more than 40 transfers have been completed since the beginning of the year, with only 2 cases of third-generation IVF transfer failure.” They touted a success rate of over 90% for embryos screened for genetics, and offered a three-generation IVF package priced at 138,000 RMB, with a guarantee of success or a full refund. They also enticed Mrs. Zhang to upgrade to a higher-priced package with promises of screening for birth defects and selecting the gender of the fetus.
Under the continuous persuasion and inducement from the agency staff, on April 16, Mrs. Zhang spent 100,000 RMB to purchase a “two-year success package,” which included egg donation, physical conditioning, and multiple embryo transfer services.
After signing the contract, the agency sent Mrs. Zhang photos of three girls undergoing ovarian stimulation for her to choose an “egg donor,” stating that she could retrieve the eggs around 15 days after selection.
Subsequently, Mrs. Zhang followed the agency’s requirements and went to a top-tier hospital in Zhejiang for a physical examination. The doctors at the hospital informed her that her uterine lining had uneven echoes, making her unsuitable for embryo transfer at the time. However, the agency staff assured Mrs. Zhang that her physical condition was good and met the criteria for transfer and unilaterally scheduled the embryo transfer surgery for May 3.
Around 5 a.m. on the day of the surgery, Mrs. Zhang experienced abnormal symptoms of brown bleeding and decided to abort the procedure. The staff informed her that the bleeding was a normal preoperative phenomenon and urged her to keep the appointment.
Mrs. Zhang stated that the consultation process was highly unusual; the agency’s assigned driver refused her husband’s accompaniment and requested she leave her phone, backpack, and other belongings at the hotel. During the transfer, the agency implemented strict control measures, scanning her entire body with security equipment, then transferring her to a fully covered vehicle where the driver’s compartment was separated from the passenger area by fabric, making it impossible for her to discern her exact location.
The vehicle finally arrived at an enclosed underground garage with no formal hospital signage. Mrs. Zhang claimed it wasn’t a legitimate medical facility, only having six simple beds and a rudimentary operating room, where the embryo incubation area and temporary pharmacy were located, offering a private and oppressive environment. Although the IVF embryo laboratory showed her a photo of a 4AB blastocyst and promised to send her archival data later, she never received any information related to the embryo.
During the return trip, a fellow passenger from Shanghai revealed that this was her second failed transfer at the IVF embryo laboratory. Another patient from Fujian of the same age also had no success with the transfer. Mrs. Zhang felt that the agency was extremely unreliable.
On May 19, the “Shengbao Surrogacy Agency” arranged for Mrs. Zhang to undergo another B-ultrasound examination, then unilaterally scheduled a second embryo transfer surgery for May 25.
During the second transfer on May 25, only a female doctor in her thirties and a nurse were responsible for the operation, which lasted less than five minutes before hastily concluding. There were no detailed preoperative examinations, medications, anesthesia procedures, or postoperative instructions throughout the process. On the same day, Mrs. Zhang went to a legitimate hospital for a follow-up examination, which showed no signs of embryo implantation in her uterine cavity.
With both transfers unsuccessful, Mrs. Zhang’s health deteriorated further. During a follow-up in May, she was diagnosed with pelvic fluid accumulation and ovarian cysts.
After the incident was exposed, on the morning of May 27, the villa laboratory site was cordoned off, and relevant authorities intervened to conduct an investigation.