Assessing Utility of Recommending and Subsidising Fertility Screening for Women Aged 30 and Men Aged 35

Mr Kenneth Tiong Boon Kiat asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry has assessed the utility of recommending and subsidising fertility screening, including biomarkers such as the Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH), at age 30 for women and age 35 for men; and (b) whether the Ministry will add universal fertility screening to the Healthier SG screening programme, given that early detection enables less invasive interventions.

The anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) are fertility tests conducted prior to starting assisted reproduction technology (ART) treatment. These are already recommended and subsidised after assessed by a medical doctor to be clinically indicated, for example, if the woman is less than 35 years of age and has tried to conceive naturally for one year.

AMH and FSH are not the same as general health screenings supported under Healthier SG for the whole population. Instead, the medical doctor needs to take into account the health and underlying medical conditions of the couple, before prescribing it.