Tracking Number of Women and Men Who Have Undergone Fertility Screening at Public and Private Hospitals

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry will consider tracking the number of women and men who have undergone fertility screening at both public and private hospitals; and (b) if not, why not.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) monitors the data, including breakdown between men and women, for nationally recommended health screening. But we have no plans to do for fertility screening. Nationally recommended screening are done mostly for chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and some cancers, because evidence supports screening of the general population for early detection and intervention to prevent disease progression. It is therefore important that MOH tracks screening participation to inform screening policies.

On the other hand, fertility assessments are individualised to the couple, depending on their specific circumstances. For many couples, fertility issues are mainly due to their age. There is no evidence to support fertility for the general population.

Hence, couples should seek medical advice from polyclinics, general practitioners or fertility specialists if the woman is below 35 years old and have tried to conceive for a year, or if the woman is above 35 years old and have tried to conceive for six months.