Ask support Age 44 TTC

Teddy75

Active Member
After my tubal reconstruction, I managed to conceive at age 41 but miscarriage at 11weeks. Tried 1 time IUI and natural till now, no news and periods become irregular as I age. Should I go for IVF again? Previously before 40 did 2 times IVF failed.
 


Hi, don't give up. If you really want a baby, please persevere. I am trying for my first too and in my 40s. Still no news yet.

Good news is that the government is going to do away with the age limit for the assisted reproductive procedures next year I think.
 
Hi, I’m 45. Looking to try for 2nd baby but I realise my menses period become 18 days. Is there any good TCM you can recommend in treating aged woman ?
 
Hi, don't give up. If you really want a baby, please persevere. I am trying for my first too and in my 40s. Still no news yet.

Good news is that the government is going to do away with the age limit for the assisted reproductive procedures next year I think.
Another problem is $$. Not want to invest to drain again since in life many other things to consider besides having another baby
 
Hi, don't give up. If you really want a baby, please persevere. I am trying for my first too and in my 40s. Still no news yet.

Good news is that the government is going to do away with the age limit for the assisted reproductive procedures next year I think.
Hi, I think the new ART requirements is must have done one ivf before 40yrs old then they got subsidise if I not wrong. If this is the case, means I can't:(:(
 
Hi, I think the new ART requirements is must have done one ivf before 40yrs old then they got subsidise if I not wrong. If this is the case, means I can't:(:(

Yes u need to do ur first ivf before 40yo then u will get the govt subsidies if u are above 40yo and above.if not no subsidies will be given. Maximum age is 45yo.
 
Yes u need to do ur first ivf before 40yo then u will get the govt subsidies if u are above 40yo and above.if not no subsidies will be given. Maximum age is 45yo.
That y I dun understand, if tat is the case, no point for those married late at 40 also, no grant, if want give, should be anyone below 45yr old. Stupid. :mad:
 
That y I dun understand, if tat is the case, no point for those married late at 40 also, no grant, if want give, should be anyone below 45yr old. Stupid. :mad:

Melodygalgal, i totally agrees with you. Dont know what the govt is up to. Already birth rate low and yet still so stingy. We also paying taxes one leh. Haiz...
 
Melodygalgal, i totally agrees with you. Dont know what the govt is up to. Already birth rate low and yet still so stingy. We also paying taxes one leh. Haiz...
That's why la, when the news came up, I was so happy saw the headline, then read on, only to find disappointment with the government. They should encourage more birth rate instead of restrict to do one ivf below 40yrs, not married yet how to Ivf. Stupid.
 
Also the total number of ART cycles still stands at 6 right? it says 2 out of 6 of the ART (3 Fresh 3 FET) can be done over 40yrs old, but for those who has exhausted 3 fresh previously before 40 cause of previous initiative, then she will also not be able to enjoy co- funding for a 4th one after 40. Not well thought through.
 
Also the total number of ART cycles still stands at 6 right? it says 2 out of 6 of the ART (3 Fresh 3 FET) can be done over 40yrs old, but for those who has exhausted 3 fresh previously before 40 cause of previous initiative, then she will also not be able to enjoy co- funding for a 4th one after 40. Not well thought through.

yes still stand 6. 3 fresh & 3 frozen
Medisave still capped at 15k per lifetime
 
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Besides that, we have to fork out cash first before we can start IVF. As at Sep 2019, Hormone Bloodtest for couple wife and spouse total S$550 each yet include GST plus another S$500 for counselling session. Talking for those in KKH; other hospital I am do not know. Before we actual start, we got to come up near S$1,500 cash.
 
Dear Ladies,

I would like to seek your advice on which option I should take for egg donation.

These are my 4 options:

1) My doctor actually recommended me to look for my relatives as potential donors. I have a younger female cousin whom I am very close to, and I can certainly ask her. However, I am reluctant to do so, because I am afraid that the future child may learn about the secret of his or her conception. You know that sometimes it is difficult to keep secrets among relatives. Family secrets easily spill out after some time.

2) The doctor also told me that the government has recently allowed import of frozen donor eggs from a European egg bank. But upon searching their catalog, there were no Asian donors, only Caucasian ones. I am not comfortable with a Caucasian egg donor, as a Eurasian child will stick out like a sore thumb for a Chinese couple.

3) The nurse at the clinic discreetly hinted that I can secretly use a foreign egg donor agency, to arrange for an egg donor to travel to Singapore. But payment has to be kept absolutely secret because this is actually illegal in Singapore. However, the nurse hinted that the doctor and clinic will 'close one eye' and pretend not to know anything, even if they suspect that I am illegally using a paid egg donor from a foreign agency.

4) Then, there is also the option of going to Malaysia or Thailand for egg donation.

Wondering which route would you recommend? I am still thinking hard and considering all options.
 
Dear ladies, do give some feedback on egg donation in Malaysia:

Egg donation in Malaysia costs just S$16,300 (RM50,000) all inclusive with IVF procedure !!!


S’poreans head to Malaysia, elsewhere to find egg donors

Singaporeans have travelled as far as the United States and Australia to find an egg donor to help them have a baby, but many have also gone to Malaysia, checks by The Straits Times showed. Ms Christine Gautaman, who runs Heart to ART, a firm in Selangor that matches couples to egg donors, told ST about 20 per cent of her clients are Singaporeans who require an egg donor, a surrogate mother, or both. For example, she has had Singaporean couples where the wives were in their 20s but suffered from premature ovarian failure. In such a case, the ovaries stop functioning normally before the age of 40, and the woman would require donor eggs to conceive. Her other Singaporean clients are often older, some in their 40s. She said Singaporeans prefer to use an anonymous egg donor as they have no ties to the donor and can raise the child as their own.
The cost of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) using an egg donor is about RM50,000 (S$16,300). She said this covers the fees paid to the egg donor, the treatment to retrieve the donor’s eggs and the IVF procedure for the mother-to-be, which is performed in Malaysia.
Ms Gautaman did not say how much the donors are paid. She added that the egg donors at her agency are generally between the ages of 21 and 32, and many are degree holders. Some are even doctors, lawyers and accountants, she said. “These ladies are very well aware of the gift of life they are giving to their recipients and although they do receive some remuneration for their time and effort, they generally are doing this to help others,” said Ms Gautaman.
From January next year, women aged 45 and older will be allowed to undergo IVF here. Doctors cheered the move but they pointed out that many of these older women would need donor eggs to conceive even if they are allowed to undergo IVF here.
Dr Sadhana Nadarajah, senior consultant of the reproductive medicine department at the KK Women’s
and Children’s Hospital, explained that women in their late 40s and 50s will have to use donor eggs to
get pregnant. For women in that age group, if they are not menopausal, most of their eggs may be genetically abnormal by then, and it will be challenging to conceive using their own eggs, she said.
However, there are some women in their 20s who suffer from premature menopause and will also need
donor eggs to conceive. Doctors say egg donors in Singapore are uncommon due to the tedious procedures involved, the fact that they cannot be paid and that people are just uncomfortable with the idea as the child would be biologically related
to them.
None of the five women The Straits Times approached who used egg donors was willing to be interviewed.
 
Hi, just joined this chat group..anyone use egg donor?

Advice and tips for Singaporean patients seeking egg donation in Malaysia

With the increasing trend of late marriages and delayed motherhood in Singapore, coupled with the lifting of age limits in IVF treatment since 2020, there is anticipated to be increasing demand for egg donation by older female IVF patients nearing or past menopause. Such women with diminished ovarian reserves often consider the egg donor option, after having failed IVF due to the reduced number and low quality of their retrieved eggs. In recently years, neighbouring Malaysia has emerged as a popular destination for Singaporean IVF patients seeking egg donation, due to close proximity and cost-competitive medical fees. Nevertheless, there are various pitfalls that patients have to navigate through, as highlighted by the Q & A below. Cumbersome travel and quarantine restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic are economically unsustainable in the long-term, and it is only a matter of time before borders reopen, and Singaporeans are once again free to travel to Malaysia for IVF treatment.

Is it difficult to find a local egg donor in Singapore?

Yes, because Singapore health regulations require egg donation to be altruistic, and payment can only be made to reimburse direct expenses such as traveling costs. The egg donation process is lengthy, tedious and painful, involving a few weeks of regular hormone injections, frequent blood tests and ultrasound scans, finally culminating in day surgery for egg retrieval. Additionally, there is also the hassle and inconvenience of commuting to and fro for numerous medical appointments. Understandably, without any financial incentives, very few local young women are willing to donate their eggs.

Why go for egg donation in Malaysia?

A large pool of egg donors of varying ethnicity and educational backgrounds are readily available in Malaysia because of generous financial inducements. Additionally, Malaysia has numerous IVF clinics and donor agencies that offer cost-competitive egg donation programs, which are much cheaper than other foreign countries such as USA, Australia and Taiwan. It is also much easier to source Asian egg donors in Malaysia, compared to Western countries such as USA and Australia. Moreover, Singaporean patients prefer to undergo IVF treatment at a destination close to home like Malaysia.

Are there any legal restrictions on egg donation in Malaysia?

Yes, only non-Muslim patients are allowed to receive egg donation. Shariah laws in Malaysia forbid Muslim patients from receiving egg or sperm donation.

What are the typical costs of egg donation in Malaysia (excluding medical fees)?

At the beginning of 2020, before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, egg donor agencies in Malaysia typically charge between 20k to 25K Malaysian ringgits, if you approach them directly. Egg donors are typically compensated between 5K to 8K Malaysian ringgits. Hence the gross profit margin of these agencies are typically between 12K to 20K Malaysian ringgits.

Which cities in Malaysia are good for egg donation?

Greater Kuala Lumpur and Penang. Most of the egg donor agencies are located here, and virtually all IVF clinics in Malaysia, even those from other cities and states, depend on these agencies to source egg donors for their patients.

What about egg donation in Johor that is much closer to Singapore?

Singaporean patients must beware that most egg donors in Johor come from out-of-town or out-of-state. As mentioned earlier, the overwhelming majority of egg donor agencies and agents in Malaysia are based in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, and IVF clinics in Johor rely on such agencies and agents to source egg donors for their patients. It is much more difficult to control and monitor the ovarian stimulation cycle of traveling egg donors from out-of-town or out-of-state, who reside far away from the IVF clinic. Such traveling egg donors may commute to the clinic for medical appointments, receive the hormone medications and then return to their hometowns where they are expected to self-inject for several days. Because supervision from the IVF clinic is not near at hand, the egg donor may not be bothered to strictly comply with such a painful and tedious routine of self-injections. If they are extra careless, the expensive hormone medications may not be kept properly refrigerated leading to spoilage and reduced potency. Without strict adherence to the injection protocol and proper refrigeration of hormone medications, the number and quality of eggs obtained from the donor will be severely compromised. Additionally, Singaporean patients must also take note that there are usually additional traveling and hotel costs associated with getting an out-of-town egg donor and her accompanying agency coordinator to travel to Johor.

Is it better to contact egg donor agencies directly, or get your selected IVF clinic to source egg donors from such agencies?

It is cheaper for you to contact egg donor agencies directly, and for them to arrange IVF treatment for you at their affiliated clinics, rather than getting an unaffliated IVF clinic to source egg donors for you from these agencies. Many egg donors agencies in Kuala Lumpur and Penang partner with their affiliated IVF clinic to offer special package deals that include egg donor costs plus medical fees. If you get an unaffiliated IVF clinic in Malaysia (particularly in Johor) to source egg donors for you, the clinic usually takes an extra cut of profit. For example, if the egg donor agency charges RM 25,000, the IVF clinic will charge you RM 30,0000, thereby taking a cut of RM 5,000 as additional profit.

Is embryo genetic testing necessary for egg donation?

Because it is unknown whether the egg donor is carrying any genetic defect, most Malaysian IVF clinics often recommend patients to do highly-expensive genetic testing of IVF embryos (PGS / PGT-A). This is completely unnecessary and a waste of money, if the egg donor is young and healthy, because chromosome abnormalities such as Down syndrome usually appear only in the eggs of older women. To evaluate whether the egg donor is carrying any unknown genetic defect, it is much cheaper to do genetic testing of the egg donor’s blood sample before starting IVF treatment. Moreover, you can also use NIPT (Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing) to screen for genetic defects in your unborn child after getting pregnant, which is also much cheaper than PGS (PGT-A). Although many fertility clinics claim that embryo genetic screening can improve the IVF success rates of older women, this usually refers to older women using their own eggs, which have a high incidence of chromosome abnormalities. PGS (PGT-A) will not improve the success rates of older women using a young egg donor. Patients must also beware of the risks of damaging the embryo during the ‘highly-delicate’ PGS (PGT-A) procedure, which involves extracting cells from the embryo after drilling a hole through the embryo shell (Zona pellucida).The smooth performance of this technique is often highly dependent on the skill and training of the laboratory staff (Embryologist). Even with high levels of training and accreditation, there is still a possibility of human error, particularly in a very busy laboratory that handles several such cases a day. Lastly, one must also beware that Malaysian IVF clinics often manipulate and play on the patient’s biased preference for either a boy or girl child, to persuade them to undertake embryo genetic testing for sex selection.

Should I choose fresh or frozen egg donation?

Some IVF clinics and egg donor agencies in Malaysia offer frozen egg donation as an alternative to fresh egg donation. The advantages of frozen versus fresh egg donation are greater convenience due to simpler logistics, as there is no need to coordinate and synchronize the treatment cycle of both donor and recipient; as well as lower costs due to negating the travel and hotel stay required for fresh egg donation. Another advantage is the greater certainty of the number and quality of frozen eggs available, which are unknown and non-guaranteed for fresh egg donation. Nevertheless, patients should use the same fertility clinic or IVF lab that recruited the egg donor and freeze her eggs. Avoid transferring frozen donor eggs from one medical facility to another. For best results, the thawing protocol must be matching and compatible with the freezing (vitrification) protocol, and only the same IVF lab that performs both the freezing and thawing processes, can ensure this. Patients should also beware that IVF success rates with frozen donor eggs are significantly lower than with fresh donor eggs.
 
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What else should Singaporean patients be wary of when doing egg donation in Malaysia?

A critical piece of information that is often downplayed by Malaysian IVF clinics is the risk of accidental incest between half-siblings conceived by the same egg donor. Although such risks may be minimized in Singapore through safeguards that limit the number of children conceived per egg donor to three, it must be noted that there is no mandatory limit to the number of recipients that a single egg donor can donate to in Malaysia. Additionally, Singaporean patients should also be aware of the lack of appropriate counseling for egg donation in Malaysia. Rigorous counseling will ensure that both husband and wife are agreeable to egg donation, without any misgivings or emotional blackmail from either spouse, and without undue pressure from parents and in-laws. Additionally, they would also miss valuable advice on whether or not to tell their child the truth about his/her conception in the future.
 
I am interested also, there is so much information to take in. I am looking at Genesis International egg and sperm centre but cannot find any information. I am guessing they are a new company but I like that they have guarantees. Keen to see if anyone else has any advise

Dear EbonyJ, I understand that new rules by Singapore MOH has recently prevented the commercial import of frozen donor eggs into Singapore. As a result, all IVF clinics in Singapore has suspended import of frozen donors eggs from overseas:

Please see the new MOH regulations regarding import of frozen donor eggs:

https://www.moh.gov.sg/docs/librariesprovider5/licensing-terms-and-conditions/moh-cir-no-67_2021_1jun21_guidelines-on-the-import-and-export-of-embryos_and_annex-a_registry-version.pdf

Use of Donor Gametes or Embryos

Where donor gametes/embryos are used in any way, all the following additional declarations are required:

(i) The couple must provide a written declaration that they have paid no more than reasonable expenses for such use. As commercial trading of human gametes/embryos is prohibited in Singapore, the couple will be required to produce evidence (e.g. an itemised invoice) to support their declaration.

(ii) Written declaration by the overseas PGS lab and, where applicable, overseas AR clinic that the collection / retrieval of the gametes / embryos meet AR LTC 2020 paragraph 5.29.

(iii) Documentation that the donor was screened for the following transmissible diseases: (a) Hepatitis B; (b) Hepatitis C; (c) Syphilis; (d) Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) (and whether a second test was repeated no earlier than 6 months from the time of donation); and, (e) Cytomegalovirus.

(iv) Documentation on whether the donor’s eggs have been used before, and if so, the number of live-births that the donor’s eggs have resulted in.

Notes:

1) Under the Human Cloning and Other Prohibited Practices Act (HCOPPA), only reasonable expenses may be provided for the supply of gametes and embryos. As per HCOPPA section 13, and MOH’s Licensing Terms and Conditions for Assisted Reproduction Services paragraph 5.31, “reasonable expenses” can include expenses relating to the preparation, preservation and quality control of the gametes/embryos.

2) In particular, if donor gamete / embryo is being used, please ensure that the following is observed: 5.29 AR Centres shall ensure that only: (a) oocytes donated by women between the ages of 21 and 35 at the point of oocyte removal;
 

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