In 2022, Singapore announced that egg freezing will be legalized for ages 21 to 35 regardless of marital status to preserve fertility. A recent announcement raised the age requirement to 37.
Although egg freezing had been legalised, only legally married couples can utilise the preserved egg to try and conceive via In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF).
Egg freezing, scientifically referred to as oocyte cryopreservation, is a medical technique involving the collection of a woman’s eggs, which are then subjected to controlled freezing at extremely low temperatures and preserved for future utilization. This procedure empowers women to safeguard their reproductive potential by capturing their eggs at a younger age, when they may exhibit superior quality, and employing them at a later stage when they desire to conceive or encounter potential difficulties with fertility.
Minister of State for Social and Family Development (MSF), Sun Xueling, made an announcement while visiting the IVF centre at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH). Following a thorough examination of both local and international research, it has been revealed that the effectiveness of egg freezing and the successful utilization of frozen eggs remain consistent for women up to the age of 37. This realization has led to a change in policy.
Ms Sun was asked why the age was raised despite the announcement made for the age requirement made last year. She stated that as she had disclosed, the authorities will continually conduct further research. Now that there is sufficient evidence from medical research made and talks with reproduction practitioners it has been proven to raise the age to 37.
At present, women are permitted to preserve their eggs solely for medical purposes, such as preserving fertility before undergoing treatments like chemotherapy that could potentially harm their reproductive capabilities.
The process of egg freezing, conducted at specialized fertility centres, aims to maintain the fertility potential by preserving the age of the eggs at the time of freezing.
Medical professionals affirm that a woman possesses a limited supply of eggs from birth, and both the quantity and quality of eggs diminish over time as she grows older.
