Inside a human egg farm: 100 Thai women rescued from shocking scam

When news broke that more than 100 Thai women were rescued from what authorities called a “human egg farm” in the country of Georgia, the global fertility community was shaken. 

Dr. Ruth Olumba, DO, MPH, FACOG, posted an Instagram Reel in response to the news, posing the very important question: Does the egg donor industry need more regulation? 

The hidden dark side of egg donation 

Reports began surfacing in Thailand that young, healthy women were disappearing, all with one thing in common: They’d left the country for work, with the promise of lucrative jobs overseas. 

But once they arrived, they vanished, per the the news report Dr. Olumba shares. Their families received brief cryptic messages at first, but then nothing. Even their social media accounts had disappeared, like they never existed in the first place. 

Investigators started noticing a pattern. Almost every missing woman had last been seen in the same last place: the country of Georgia. 

Finally, 100 Thai women were found—and rescued—from a human trafficking situation there, referred to as a “human egg farm.” Essentially, the women were there under the pretext of providing them jobs as surrogates for childless couples in exchange for large sums of money. 

“[The women] get to Georgia and are placed in camps with other women and find out there’s no surrogacy,” Dr. Olumba explains. “Instead, you’re going to be pumped with hormones and you go through egg retrieval cycles multiple times and your eggs are sold on the black market.” 

The global egg donor industry is booming, driven by growing demand from couples struggling with infertility, LGBTQ+ families, and surrogacy arrangements. But in many countries, regulation hasn’t kept up.

Georgia, long a hub for international surrogacy, has become a destination for fertility procedures due to its lax oversight and low costs, per the BBC. But as the recent case shows, affordability can come at a dangerous human cost.

“This is bringing this dark side of reproductive technology to the forefront,” Dr. Olumba says. 

Calls for reform and regulation 

The rescue operation in Georgia has sparked international outcry and renewed calls for oversight in the fertility industry. Human rights groups and medical associations alike are urging governments to implement stronger protections for egg donors.

Some countries, like the UK and Canada, have established donor registries and prohibit payment beyond reasonable expenses, according to a 2024 article in Reproductive BioMedicine Online ^[].

Others countries, like Thailand, have tightened restrictions after past scandals—but loopholes remain, especially when donors are transported across borders.

How patients can stay informed and safe

• Ask your doctor about the clinic or agency’s donor practices.

• Look for accreditation from reputable organizations like ASRM or ESHRE.

• Avoid third-party brokers that can’t provide clear medical records or legal documentation.

• Stay wary of deals that seem too good to be true—ethical fertility care has costs.

• Support organizations that advocate for donor rights and transparency.