Parental hopefuls seek fertile ground overseas

Couples are heading abroad to improve their chances of starting a family

The easing of China's family planning policy was a boon for Zhang Yinhe and his wife Xu Mengsha, who had decided to freeze an embryo for use during in vitro fertilization in the hope of having a second child someday.

However, in China most IVF procedures are restricted to infertile couples, and reproductive clinics have been overwhelmed with hopeful couples since the family planning policy was scrapped two years ago, which meant Zhang and Xu faced a long wait before they could have the procedure.