After years of debate, women of all marital statuses will soon be able to store their eggs for non-medical reasons in order to maintain their fertility.
With the adoption of the Assisted Reproduction Services Regulations under the Healthcare Services Act early next year, women aged 21 to 35 can undertake elective egg freezing for non-medical reasons.
However, only legally married couples are eligible to use their frozen eggs for in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).
This is consistent with current IVF regulations and the concept of "maintaining parenthood inside marriage."
The revisions, which were announced Monday (March 28) in a White Paper on Singapore Women's Development, represent a sea change in policy.
Women can now freeze their eggs only for medical reasons, such as while undergoing chemotherapy that may impact their fertility.
Ms Sun Xueling, Minister of State for Social and Family Development, told reporters earlier this month ahead of the White Paper's release: "We recognize that some women may be unable to find a suitable spouse while they are younger, yet desire to maintain their chances of conceiving later in life."
However, Ms Sun stressed, "sufficient protections" will be in place to ensure that women make an educated decision.
For example, she stated that women will be counseled before to freezing their eggs to assist them understand the procedure's invasive nature, limits such as the procedure's low success rate in producing a kid, and the danger of having children at an older age, among other things.
According to Ms Sun, medical study in other nations has shown that the possibility of a frozen egg resulting in the birth of a child is between 2% and 12%.
Additionally, the investigations discovered that a very tiny percentage of women - fewer than 10% - actually use their frozen eggs.
Egg freezing maintains fertility because the eggs' age remains constant from the time they are frozen.
Doctors believe that a woman is born with a certain amount of eggs, which diminish in quantity and quality as she ages.
As a result, a woman's chances of becoming pregnant diminish as she aged.
The Ministry of Health stated in 2012 that it was conducting an assessment of the medical, scientific, and ethical consequences of elective egg freezing.
In 2019, the Ministry of Social and Family Development stated that it was "seriously considering" legalizing elective egg freezing since it may assist certain women due to personal circumstances, such as not having met Mr Right yet.
Over the years, women's organisations and prominent personalities such as Tampines GRC MP Cheng Li Hui have pushed for the legalization of elective egg freezing.
In a policy paper on women's problems released in July last year, the PAP Women's Wing and Young PAP urged the Government to enable elective egg freezing.
When asked about the job change, Minister of Communications and Information Josephine Teo told reporters: "When the concept initially came up through our ground interactions, it created some discomfort."
"Some feared that making elective egg freezing available would give the incorrect message about marriage and parenting, that they do not need to be prioritized and can always be postponed."
However, over time, the majority of people had a greater understanding of the reasons why women would choose the alternative, she continued.
Mrs Teo stated that the decision to enable elective egg freezing is not about increasing overall fertility rates, but rather about "empowering women with choice."
When queried about the 35-year-old age limit for elective egg freezing, Ms Sun stated that it is consistent with the existing 35-year-old egg donor age limit.
After the age of 35, scientific research indicates that the quality of a woman's eggs degrades considerably, she noted.
Ms Sun, however, stated that she would not rule out future medical developments that might result in adjustments to the age restrictions for egg donors and elective egg freezing.
Dr Loh Seong Feei, medical director of Thomson Fertility Centre, said it is "past time" for the Government to allow elective egg freezing, as women in Singapore are traveling to Malaysia, Australia, and even the United States to freeze their eggs due to the fact that they are unable to do so in Singapore.
Dr Loh, who believes the age restriction of 35 is excessive, adding that the majority of his patients considering egg freezing are above 35 — the age at when they truly begin to worry about their biological clock.
Additionally, the treatment is expensive – around $10,000 each cycle, depending on the nation in which it is performed – and some women may be unable to afford it while they are younger, he warned.
"Egg freezing does not ensure pregnancy, as it is also dependent on other circumstances, such as whether your womb is capable of carrying a pregnancy at the time you choose to use your eggs," he explained.
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