Family Source Consultants in Asia

As you know, we here at Family Source Consultants are experts in building families via surrogacy and egg donation. But did you know that we help build families in countries all over the world? 

Of course, the rules surrounding surrogacy and egg donation can vary significantly between countries. That is why we take extra special care to provide our international intended parents with the trust and support they need throughout their journey. 

As part of our commitment to our hopeful international parents, we have a dedicated international surrogacy team. Our outstanding team members work closely with hopeful parents from China, Taiwan, and Japan. They take pride in educating, supporting, and guiding them on their journeys.

Many people are not aware that our International Client Relations Specialists actually started out as intended parents themselves! 

As FSC’s Asia Client Relations Specialists, Peter and Ben love sharing their first-hand knowledge of third-party reproduction with intended parents throughout Asia. Peter and Ben live in China and are proud fathers of a son and daughter born via surrogacy and egg donation. Their professional and personal experience with third-party reproduction provides a tremendous advantage for FSC’s Asian clients. 

Ben says their experience with FSC was so positive that they jumped at the chance to help others to be part of it, too. 

“We wanted to join the FSC team to let more people know and understand how great they are at helping intended parents realize their family dream,” he says. 

Surrogacy in Asia vs. Surrogacy in the United States

Third-party reproduction is quite a different ballgame in Asia, Ben explains. Legislation in many Asian countries is still very much based on traditional principles. As a result, surrogacy is not yet legal in China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and other Asian countries. 

Instead, Asian couples and individuals who wish to become parents through surrogacy must choose to pursue the process in a country other than their home country.

Ben says that although surrogacy is quite normal in the US, it is still a relatively new concept to many people in China. 

“In China, around forty percent of people understand and accept surrogacy, but the other sixty percent are still not quite sure about it. Some people worry that surrogacy will bring social problems surrounding parental rights, or that women will be forced to become surrogates,” he explains. 

However, despite this wariness and the lack of legislation, attitudes have become more positive in recent years. Ben says that more and more people in China are beginning to see surrogacy as a wonderful way to build their families, especially since the one-child policy was abolished. 

“For many years, the law in China stipulated that a family could only have one child. However, after the restriction was lifted in 2016, more families are interested in having a second child,” he says. 

Ben says that many Asian cultures are strongly oriented towards children, particularly China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Having children and creating a family is very much encouraged throughout these countries, which has helped make people more accepting of surrogacy. 

Unfortunately, the legislation change in China came a little too late for some. Many people who had always longed for a second child found that their fertility had been affected by age, and they could no longer conceive. This has meant that their only hope of having two children was through international third-party assisted reproduction. 

That’s where Family Source Consultants has stepped in.

FSC has already made a very positive impression in Asia, especially on hopeful parents. Ben says this is because FSC prides itself on providing a very high standard of customer service. 

“Asian customers have very high service requirements, particularly in terms of a fast matching process,” he explains. “For example, they would like to be able to match with a suitable surrogate within a month.”

He adds that many third-party reproduction agencies only provide Chinese services in sales. However, most Chinese IPs would prefer surrogacy services provided in Chinese, particularly when it comes to communication. 

“They want to have access to a full range of Chinese services throughout the whole surrogacy process. At present, some Asian customers are not satisfied with the way other agencies follow up on cases because they do not provide services in the Chinese language. This isn’t ideal because it can mean a high risk of language difficulties and cultural misunderstandings.”

Intended parents from Asia prefer an agency that takes care of all aspects of the journey. Just like IPs in the United States, they want a caseworker to assist with meeting their new baby, as well as help with applying for various certificates. 

Again, this is where FSC excels! We provide no-cost consultations in person or online via video. We also have team members who are fluent in both English and Chinese, making the process much easier for everyone involved.  

FSC now has clients from all over Asia. Most are from China and Taiwan, and a smaller portion are Japanese customers. Ben says that these clients love how FSC’s Chinese language services are not just in sales, but in a vast range of services. FSC also provides a detailed list of expenses for surrogacy services. 

In most cases, customers learn about FSC through acquaintances or Google. This is partly because third-party reproduction agencies are not able to advertise in Asia. Fortunately, word-of-mouth has paid off well for FSC, and their client base in Asia is growing all the time. 

So, how do IPs in Asia keep in touch with their surrogate from across the other side of the world?

Ben says that the internet makes this very easy. Most international intended parents and surrogates are able to communicate regularly via WeChat or email. Language translation apps such as Google translate help to overcome the language barrier. 

Ben says it is important to figure out how much contact is appropriate for either party so that everyone is comfortable. Some intended parents might like to contact their surrogate every week, while some prefer less. 

To find out more about Family Source Consultants in Asia, get in touch with us here!