Egg Freezing Procedures at Public and Private Hospitals

Miss Cheng Li Hui asked the Minister for Health (a) over the last three years, how many egg freezing procedures have been carried out at our public and private hospitals respectively; and (b) how prevalent are the risks of the procedure, such as infection and bleeding.

Egg freezing is currently only allowed either as part of an in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) procedure for married women, or for women diagnosed with medical conditions, such as cancer, for which the treatment may damage or destroy their ovarian functions.

At present, the Ministry of Health monitors the number of IVF cycles carried out, rather than the egg freezing procedures conducted. From 2013 to 2015, an annual average of 2,700 and 1,400 fresh IVF cycles was carried out respectively in public and private assisted reproduction centres.

Based on estimates from licensed centres conducting IVF, complications from over-stimulation of ovaries, which could result in abdominal pain and vomiting in severe cases, occur in less than 1% of the cases. Likewise, the risk of infection and bleeding is low, with a prevalence of less than 1%.

This is consistent with the low prevalence of operative risks conducted overseas. Studies overseas indicate that the prevalence of complications from over-stimulation of ovaries ranges from 0.1% to 2%, and that of infection and bleeding at about 1% of cases.

I thank the Senior Minister of State. I have just one supplementary question. In view of the prevalence of family planning, will the Ministry once again consider allowing egg freezing for young healthy women with no medical needs? Singapore is a premier healthcare service provider in the region and countries like the United States, Australia, Thailand and Malaysia allow this. So, I hope that our health policy can reflect the changing trends and allow this with proper counselling.

I thank the Member for the supplementary question. As the Member has rightly noted, social egg freezing is currently disallowed in Singapore and there are various reasons for this.

Whilst the medical risks can be addressed through regulation as well as enhanced public education and counselling of potential users, there are social and ethical implications that have to be considered carefully. Couples may delay marriage and parenthood thinking that egg freezing would assure them that they can have a child later on in life when they wish to conceive.

Age-related fertility issues actually affect both men and women. The best way to ensure having a healthy child, really, is when couples are relatively young and healthy. Nonetheless, we note the feedback that we have received. We are currently carefully considering the implications of allowing social egg freezing. We are monitoring international developments in the field of social egg freezing. We will review our position, taking into account the experiences of countries that have implemented this, as well as, of course, the proper safeguards that we need, for instance, the regulatory framework, to ensure or safeguard patients' safety should social egg freezing be allowed, as well as social and medical implications, and the prevailing societal norms and culture.