A personal journey.
A focused purpose.

A NOTE FROM OUR REPRESENTATIVE

From one intended parent to another

My name is Yutaka Satake, representative of IITS life. I went through surrogacy twice in Ukraine and became the parent of three children. I have personally lived with the wish to build a family and the journey it takes to get there.

That journey brought more than joy. Some legal procedures were unclear to me. Alongside the arrangements in Ukraine, I struggled to understand what I needed to prepare and how to proceed in my home country, Japan. Making decisions without all the information I needed was difficult.

After my children were born, I still had to wait until they could leave Ukraine. Inadequate sharing of information about the procedures also meant that obtaining their nationality took time. Alongside the joy of welcoming them, there were anxious periods when I could not see when we would be able to move forward.

Costs were another source of concern: the estimate became higher than I had initially expected. Alongside understanding the procedures, I came to appreciate the importance of knowing what an estimate includes and in what circumstances the amount might change before proceeding.

Through that experience, I came to understand that, for me, the surrogacy journey did not end at birth. I learned firsthand how important it is to clarify early who handles each stage and what needs to be checked, including departure and procedures in the home country.

Those experiences led me to establish my own egg donor bank. I wanted to build a system in which information and responsibilities were clear from the very beginning of building a family. That is the purpose behind the IITS life egg donor bank. Rather than handling every stage ourselves, we concentrate on donor recruitment, reviewing application information and coordinating donor selection. Embryo transfer (ET) and subsequent stages are entrusted to external clinics and specialist providers.

Having experienced surrogacy myself, I understand concerns and information needs that are easy to miss from the other side of the conversation. Drawing on that experience, I am confident that I can establish and provide a process designed to avoid similar confusion: checking procedures, costs and responsibilities in advance, then sharing information and arranging clear handovers with external specialists.

One of its foundations is transparent pricing. We aim to explain the itemised estimate, what is included and excluded, the conditions for additional costs and the payment schedule before proceeding. Fees charged by external clinics and specialist providers are to be checked separately against their contracts and responsibilities. If an amount changes, our policy is to explain why and ask you to review the change.

My experience will not be the same as every family’s. But as someone who knows the anxiety of waiting for information and making decisions without a clear view ahead, I want to listen. We aim to speak openly about what we handle, what external specialists handle and what still needs to be confirmed.

Representative, IITS life
佐竹 豊YUTAKA SATAKE