The Ultimate Guide to Egg Freezing in Singapore 2022: Cost, Procedure, Risks Involved

From 2023 onwards, non-medical egg freezing will finally be permitted for Singaporean women between the ages of 21 to 35, regardless of marital status. Learn how this positive step empowers women with renewed confidence to regain control of their future fertility.

Singapore’s total fertility rate (TFR) has always been a significant issue plaguing our population. Our TFR has been on a decline since 2014. Currently, it sits at an all-time low of around 1.12 births per woman despite the replacement value of 2.1. 

Unsurprisingly, the population’s struggle for optimal reproduction rates has translated into a rapidly-ageing population and a shrinking citizen workforce. This inadvertently caused Singapore’s old-age support ratio to dwindle too.

Most notably, the notorious success of the 1980s anti-natalist “Stop at Two” campaign triggered this seemingly irreversible declining fertility rate — and by extension, the start of all these population problems.

Furthermore, Singaporean women are now more empowered in the workforce. Many are prioritising career advancement over starting a family. In fact, roughly 60% of women in a fertility survey expressed good income and stable career prospects as important. 

In response to all these factors, the government aggressively pushed for foreign labour and immigration population strategies much to the disdain of Singaporeans. 

So now, what can be done to remedy this pressing population crisis? This is where egg freezing enters the picture.

Table of contents

• What is egg freezing in Singapore
• Process of egg freezing in Singapore
• Cost of egg freezing in Singapore
• Assisted reproduction clinics in Singapore

Things you should know about egg freezing in Singapore 2022

What is egg freezing?

Oocyte cryopreservation, otherwise known as egg freezing, is a medical procedure to retrieve, freeze and store away a woman’s unfertilised eggs for conception later in life. 

A woman’s fertility declines with age. Therefore, the younger a woman’s eggs are, the healthier they are, with a higher chance of a successful pregnancy.

Medical professionals posit the ideal childbearing years to be before 30 years old. The problem therein lies with women overestimating the chances of natural pregnancy in their mid-thirties. 

The aforementioned fertility survey revealed that almost 45% of participants believed that couples in their mid-thirties have a 50% chance of successfully conceiving a baby in any given month. This success rate is grossly misinformed, with the actual success rate being only 15%.

Here’s what a woman’s fertility chances might look like with and without egg freezing:

Source: University of North Carolina

Seeing how women continually value their career and further study prospects over traditional family values explains why egg freezing has risen in popularity over the years.

Medical egg freezing

Women suffering from critical illnesses like cancer are eligible to freeze their eggs for medical reasons. Treatments like chemotherapy and radiotherapy may profoundly impact the quality of a woman’s eggs. The former is known to damage eggs and the latter may induce premature menopause. 

Women with a family history or genetic predisposition to cancer are also eligible for egg freezing citing medical conditions. This is because doctors might recommend removing certain reproductive organs like the ovaries, fallopian tubes or even uterus to reduce cancer risk.

Hence, medical egg freezing is often allowed for these groups of women. No age limit is imposed either.

Elective egg freezing

On the other hand, social or elective oocyte cryopreservation (EOF) refers to women who choose egg freezing due to social factors. Reasons for deferring pregnancy could include focusing on their career, searching for the right partner, and so forth.

EOF was previously banned in Singapore. However, the government has since shifted their stance to allow EOF from 2023 onwards. This procedure will only be available for women between 21 to 35 years old, regardless of marital status.

Since the motivations for EOF are non-medical, every woman will have to undergo counselling before making an informed decision. Simply put, egg freezing is an invasive procedure with risks and costs involved.

For instance, egg freezing isn’t a guarantee of a successful pregnancy. Although rare, possible complications of bleeding, infection or damage to a blood vessel and other organs may occur due to an aspirating needle.  

Every woman deserves to know the potential health and emotional risks involved in a medically-invasive procedure.

What happens in the egg freezing process?

Now that we know the two main types of egg freezing, what exactly goes into this procedure? 

Egg freezing is fairly similar to the initial stages of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) cycles.

Before extraction

1. The woman is given hormone injections to stimulate oocyte (egg) production for an estimated two weeks.
2. Regular ultrasound scans and blood tests are conducted to track her progress and ensure she’s responding well to the treatment.
3. Once the eggs are fully matured, one final injection will be administered.
4. The mature eggs are extracted from the woman (under general anaesthesia) during an outpatient procedure.

After extraction

1. An embryologist checks the eggs to deem their quality for storage.
2. The eggs are ‘flash-frozen’ through vitrification where they’re frozen at -196℃ for a minute. This method ensures a higher ‘post-thaw’ survival rate compared to older methods.
3. The frozen eggs are kept in storage tanks (Dewars) filled with liquid nitrogen until their retrieval. Dewars can be found in assisted reproduction centres. 

This concludes one egg freezing cycle. Ostensibly, most women undergo at least two cycles to accumulate and store sufficient eggs to sustain multiple pregnancy attempts in the future.

Presently, there is no time limit for how long eggs can be kept frozen in Singapore. So there’s no pressure or urgency for women to retrieve their eggs by a certain period. What a relief!

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Cost of egg freezing in Singapore

A single egg freezing cycle in Singapore costs approximately S$10,000 and above. Meanwhile, storing frozen eggs could cost an extra S$5,000. 

Not forgetting that about two cycles are encouraged, the total cost will easily amount to more than S$25,000 for a comprehensive egg freezing procedure.

This doesn’t account for the additional costs incurred from future thawing, fertilisation and embryo-implanting in the woman’s uterus during the pregnancy attempt later on. It could cost around S$5,000 per attempt.

Needless to say, egg freezing is a substantial financial endeavour that requires careful thought and consideration before proceeding.

If you need a little financial assistance, a personal loan could be just the solution. 

Where to seek assisted reproductive (AR) services in Singapore

If you’re ready to take the next step in your fertility preservation journey, here are some assisted reproduction (AR) clinics in Singapore to consult.

Centre for Assisted Reproduction (CARE) @ SGH

Source: sgh.com

Centre for Assisted Reproduction (CARE) is a one-stop fertility centre located in Singapore General Hospital. The clinic possesses over 30 years of experience, offering an extensive range of fertility assessment services, assisted reproductive procedures and state-of-the-art equipment. 

Their in-house team of experienced doctors, nurses and embryologists have successfully delivered more than 2,500 newborns through assisted reproductive methods. Their mission is to provide individualised fertility treatment plans through minimally invasive procedures for each patient’s best outcome.

Address: Singapore General Hospital, Block 5, Level 1 (Brown zone)
Opening hours: Weekdays (8am to 5pm) | Saturday (8am to 12pm) | Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays
Tel: +65 6321 4377

Virtus Fertility Centre

Source: Scotts Medical Center

Virtus Fertility Centre is a fertility clinic that offers a myriad of treatment plans for all sorts of fertility issues — egg freezing included. 

The experienced facility set the standards for assisted reproductive techniques and technology, having been recently awarded the Fertility Medical Centre of the Year Asia Pacific 2021. Their resident oncologist and fertility specialist are equipped to meet every woman’s fertility needs, concerns and guidance for the next stage in fertility preservation.

Address: 9 Scotts Road, #09-01 to 05, Scotts Medical Center @ Pacific Plaza, Singapore 228210
Opening hours: Weekdays (8am to 5pm) | Saturday (8am to 12pm) | Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays
Tel: +65 6460 4555

OncoFertility Clinic @ KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital

Newly established in 2020, OncoFertility Clinic is one of the first of its kind in Singapore to provide tailored treatment plans to help patients preserve their fertility. They cater mostly to oncology patients undergoing chemotherapy or removing reproductive organs due to cancer.

Apart from embryo, sperm and egg storage, they also offer other treatments like ovarian tissue storage, shielding ovaries or uterus during radiation, transposition of ovaries and more.

Their team of dedicated gynaecological oncologists and fertility specialists work very closely together. Holistic counselling on cancer treatment, future fertility and preservation options can also be facilitated here.

Address: 100 Bukit Timah Road, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore 229899
Opening hours: Weekdays (8am to 5pm) | Saturday (8am to 12pm) | Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays
Tel: +65 6294 4050
E-mail: centralappt@kkh.com.sg  

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Reflecting on personal priorities in life 

Regardless of a medical or personal reason, fertility preservation is an individual right that women should have access to. Be it career choices, furthering studies, remaining single by choice, or others, every woman is entitled to her reason for delaying childbirth. 

Thankfully, the government and society are changing legislation for the better to improve inclusivity in women’s health. Although there are still several caveats to assisted reproductive services here, every little step counts towards safeguarding women’s reproductive rights and health in Singapore. 

Female empowerment in the health sector has certainly come a long way.