Angelica Cheng
Active Member
Singaporean patients often choose to do IVF in Johor due to proximity and convenience.
However, in the case of egg donation, Singaporean patients must beware that most egg donors in Johor come from out-of-town or out-of-state. This is because 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 common practice for doctors to hand over expensive hormone medications (requiring refrigeration) directly to out-of-town donors, and expect the donor to self-inject, maybe with some supervision from the agent.
Such out-of-town 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. They will then commute again to Johor for further appointments to scan their follicles, or for the final egg-retrieval surgery.
This may pose a serious problem, because such traveling egg donors from out-of-town or out-of-state may not strictly follow the stimulation protocol of hormone injections, which is absolutely crucial for IVF success. Without strict adherence to the injection protocol, the number and quality of eggs obtained from the donor will be severely compromised.
Anyone who had undergone IVF can appreciate the painful and tedious procedure of self-injections. Without any direct supervision from the IVF clinic, the egg donor or agent 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 stored in the refrigerator, leading to spoilage and reduced potency.
Hence, it may be better for patients to demand and insist that the expensive hormone medications are stored at the IVF clinic, and all injections are administered and recorded by a nurse at the clinic itself.
Of course, this would oblige both the traveling egg donor and agency-coordinator accompanying the donor to stay at a hotel in Johor for several days up to 2 weeks. Moreover, the egg donor and agency-coordinator may be working at full-time jobs in their hometowns, and there may be a need to compensate them for lost income or lost leave days. All these would substantially increase costs !
Singaporean patients should ask themselves whether it would be better for them to undergo egg donation at an IVF clinic in KL or Penang, rather than get a traveling egg donor to commute to Johor? At least in KL and Penang, egg donors usually reside locally, and it is relatively convenient for them to receive regular injections at the IVF clinic itself.
However, in the case of egg donation, Singaporean patients must beware that most egg donors in Johor come from out-of-town or out-of-state. This is because 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 common practice for doctors to hand over expensive hormone medications (requiring refrigeration) directly to out-of-town donors, and expect the donor to self-inject, maybe with some supervision from the agent.
Such out-of-town 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. They will then commute again to Johor for further appointments to scan their follicles, or for the final egg-retrieval surgery.
This may pose a serious problem, because such traveling egg donors from out-of-town or out-of-state may not strictly follow the stimulation protocol of hormone injections, which is absolutely crucial for IVF success. Without strict adherence to the injection protocol, the number and quality of eggs obtained from the donor will be severely compromised.
Anyone who had undergone IVF can appreciate the painful and tedious procedure of self-injections. Without any direct supervision from the IVF clinic, the egg donor or agent 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 stored in the refrigerator, leading to spoilage and reduced potency.
Hence, it may be better for patients to demand and insist that the expensive hormone medications are stored at the IVF clinic, and all injections are administered and recorded by a nurse at the clinic itself.
Of course, this would oblige both the traveling egg donor and agency-coordinator accompanying the donor to stay at a hotel in Johor for several days up to 2 weeks. Moreover, the egg donor and agency-coordinator may be working at full-time jobs in their hometowns, and there may be a need to compensate them for lost income or lost leave days. All these would substantially increase costs !
Singaporean patients should ask themselves whether it would be better for them to undergo egg donation at an IVF clinic in KL or Penang, rather than get a traveling egg donor to commute to Johor? At least in KL and Penang, egg donors usually reside locally, and it is relatively convenient for them to receive regular injections at the IVF clinic itself.
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