IVF/Egg donor overseas

[only_you]

Hello, I recall there were some ladies here who did ivf overseas? Can you share with me your clinic and experience? Like how often do you have to fly there, how much was the entire procedure? Does your clinic offer egg donor?

Failed my last cycle and wont be trying anymore as I am hitting 40 but would like to explore donor eggs as last try to give my gal a sibling.

 

[fp0706]

Hi only-you, i will be starting my ivf with dr wiwat in Bangkok next mth ie January2016. Dr wiwat said Thai government has banned egg doners since mid of this year, but heard that u can get egg doners in Malaysia.

 

[only_you]

Thank you! Sigh, looks like I am abit late! I am researching TMC Johor Bahru too. Hopefully more forumers can share more.

 

[Celestialbaby]

Hi I'm doing my IVF at Alpha Fertility Centre with Dr Colin in KL using my own eggs. I know Alpha has an Egg Donor program but I personally has not enquired about it. I failed my 1st cycle last Oct and so M in the midst of my stimulation jabs for my 2nd round. You can either choose to get support from a fertlity doc in singapore by getting your scans done in SIN and only fly in for ER or ET. I chose to do everything in KL. A typical cycle should be like this :
1. Fly in for 1st consult. If decided to do IVF, buy meds on the spot. Take 1st blood test. You'd be given instructions when to start your injections n how to inject. (- Day trip)
2. Menses come, call clinic on 1st day to arrange for scan. D2 of menses, start injections.
3. 1st scan usually CD8 or 9. Day trip for scan
4. If follicles growing well, go back on CD13 for ER. for ER, I fly in the day b4 as ER is early in the morning.
5. My clinic encourage FET. They'd prescribe meds to prepare for FET and u just need to follow. FET you need to fly in the day b4 and they encourage to stay 3 to 4 days at least as that is the crucial time for implantation.

I heard that for donor program you'd need to go through an agent. Some unis practice sharing of donor, ie. You share with another donor the eggs from the same stimming round. So be sure to ask about this.

 

[sherleyuki]

Hi only_you, i think the nearest to SG is Malaysia for egg donor program. Other countries will include India and USA. Actually India has a very successful, donor and surrogate program and high technology too, you can read up on them. India will be my last option. USA is too expensive.

 

[cindylee]

Hi,
May i know anyone wish to be paid for egg donor?

 

[lilpretty]

There is this clinic called superior art in BKK. It was recomended by some doc over wiwats clinic.. but individual judgement. Overall BKk has banned donor eggs but im not sure if the policy allows u to bring ur own egg donor n they just carry out the procedure for u. U may wana enquire w them. They respond q fast.

 

[bbpooh81]

Anyone can share egg donor program in Malaysia? It's cost and procedure etc? Any good docs in JB?

 

[srjk]

There is this clinic called superior art in BKK. It was recomended by some doc over wiwats clinic.. but individual judgement. Overall BKk has banned donor eggs but im not sure if the policy allows u to bring ur own egg donor n they just carry out the procedure for u. U may wana enquire w them. They respond q fast.

Hi lilpretty,

Have u Been to superior art ? How's the environment/ doctor etc .. Asking on behalf of a friend who is contemplating going there thanks

 

[srjk]

Anyone can share egg donor program in Malaysia? It's cost and procedure etc? Any good docs in JB?

Hi bbpooh81,

Have u tried ivf with different doctors yet? Sometimes it helps

 

[bbpooh81]

Hi, I am now on my 3rd cycle and I think i am gg to fail it again. Tried twice in sgh and once in kkh.. same result.. my embryo having difficulty in multiplying. The best I had was 6 cells at day 3 but that's highly fragmentated. My current cycle is 2 cells at day 2. I think it's an egg issue and a difficult one to resolve since I have tried tcm, accuputure, taking chicken essence frequently, immunocal for a mth, several supplements for 10mths.. result still the same..

Age is catching up and I am finding ways to move on.. I am not sure if anyone is in a similar situation like me and yield success..

On my 2nd cycle, sgh advised me to stop trying and get donor eggs... therefore, I shifted to kkh for my last attempt.

If there is anyone who had tried donor egg in msia or elsewhere, able to share your experiences with me?

 

[srjk]

Hi, I am now on my 3rd cycle and I think i am gg to fail it again. Tried twice in sgh and once in kkh.. same result.. my embryo having difficulty in multiplying. The best I had was 6 cells at day 3 but that's highly fragmentated. My current cycle is 2 cells at day 2. I think it's an egg issue and a difficult one to resolve since I have tried tcm, accuputure, taking chicken essence frequently, immunocal for a mth, several supplements for 10mths.. result still the same..

Age is catching up and I am finding ways to move on.. I am not sure if anyone is in a similar situation like me and yield success..

On my 2nd cycle, sgh advised me to stop trying and get donor eggs... therefore, I shifted to kkh for my last attempt.

If there is anyone who had tried donor egg in msia or elsewhere, able to share your experiences with me?

Hmm.. All the best to you, think positively and lotsa baby dust to you. But why would you want to do it in Malaysia ? Think sg allow relatives to donate egg le.. I wouldn't do it in Malaysia personally, even though I'm Malaysian and living in jb, I still went to sg for my ivf and to see gynae ..

 

[bbpooh81]

Hi srjk,

I find it abit werid to get relatives to do so.. if they are willing to do so which is to inject themselves and go thru the procedure, most likely is for money.. and if one day the relationship with that relative has gone sour, will that relative tell the kid or claim the kid as hers? Not sure if i'm thinking too much..

The reason why I ask for malaysia is becos its the nearest place from sg for donor egg. I heard thailand has banned donor eggs, if not, I would have considered it too...any other advice is appreciated.

Baby dust to you in your upcoming cycle!

 

[lilpretty]

Hi lilpretty,

Have u Been to superior art ? How's the environment/ doctor etc .. Asking on behalf of a friend who is contemplating going there thanks

The service is good but the doc i was recommended to has left for another clinic. The fees r not cheap but service n quality r good

 

[Ada66]

Anyone can share egg donor program in Malaysia? It's cost and procedure etc? Any good docs in JB?

Hi, I am now on my 3rd cycle and I think i am gg to fail it again. Tried twice in sgh and once in kkh.. same result.. my embryo having difficulty in multiplying. The best I had was 6 cells at day 3 but that's highly fragmentated. My current cycle is 2 cells at day 2. I think it's an egg issue and a difficult one to resolve since I have tried tcm, accuputure, taking chicken essence frequently, immunocal for a mth, several supplements for 10mths.. result still the same..

Age is catching up and I am finding ways to move on.. I am not sure if anyone is in a similar situation like me and yield success..

On my 2nd cycle, sgh advised me to stop trying and get donor eggs... therefore, I shifted to kkh for my last attempt.

If there is anyone who had tried donor egg in msia or elsewhere, able to share your experiences with me?

Hello, I recall there were some ladies here who did ivf overseas? Can you share with me your clinic and experience? Like how often do you have to fly there, how much was the entire procedure? Does your clinic offer egg donor?

Failed my last cycle and wont be trying anymore as I am hitting 40 but would like to explore donor eggs as last try to give my gal a sibling.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Try asking IVF Bridge Fertility Centre, Johor Bahru, Malaysia, Tel: 07-3362788

 

[Agata]

Hi,
May i know anyone wish to be paid for egg donor?

Hi Cindy.
Please email me to discuss it : [email protected].

 

[Oldpeanuts]

Hi Cindy.
Please email me to discuss it : [email protected].

Any recommendation where to find egg donors?

 

[only_you]

Ladies, u can go msia ivf centres to find egg donors. They are quite efficient. Process is just like spore's just that stimmulation is on donor but ET is to your womb and 2ww and pregnancy all on yourselves.

 

[only_you]

Ada66 recommended IVF Bridge. My fren recommended TMC JB.

 

[Liwen Ng]

Hi everyone, actually I have found out a new forum for KL Fertility Centre whereby the representatives of KL Fertility Centre will answered all the questions of infertility posted by forum guests. This forum is very active and high responsive. You may also refer to them whenever you need the consultation from their Obstetrician & Gynecologist.
Provided here is the link of forum: http://getdocsays.com/forums/topic/infertility/

I'm pretty sure it helps ^^

 

[Oldpeanuts]

Hi Everyone, I am starting my donor process in TMC PJ/KL. If anyone needs more information, let me know.

Hi Denice,

Can you share more of your experience with donor process.

 

[bottlehead]

Hello Denice or anyone using donor egg from overseas, please do share your clinic information as I am also in the midst of searching for one.

Dr requested me to go for CMV test and I was tested negative. The nurse explained that I can only receive a CMV negative donar. I have a hard time looking for one because most of the donar are positive.

Thanks.

 

[Oldpeanuts]

Hello Denice or anyone using donor egg from overseas, please do share your clinic information as I am also in the midst of searching for one.

Dr requested me to go for CMV test and I was tested negative. The nurse explained that I can only receive a CMV negative donar. I have a hard time looking for one because most of the donar are positive.

Thanks.

Hi Bottlehead.

Am not sure what you mean by CMV negative thou.
But below are the clinics in MY that provides egg donor services depending on which is most comfortable for you. (Thailand seems to be very much restricted now)
They will also match your requirements, the usual will be blood type, race, overall looks with you and DH, height etc.
You can check if they are able to source for CMV negative donor.

You will find their contact and address online.

1) IVF Bridge in JB
2) TMC in JB
3) Sunfert in KL
4) TMC in KL
5) Alpha fertility

 

[bottlehead]

Hi Oldpeanuts,

Thanks for the information !

 

[Hope_bliss]

Anyone experience thin lining issues and have their cycles postpone/cancel?
I am.having this issue and did whatever protocols to help but unsuceesful and had to keep cancelling my cycles

 

[Melissa0116]

Hi,
May i know anyone wish to be paid for egg donor?

Hi Cindy, If you still looking for egg donor, you may whatsapp or email me for discussion. [email protected]

 

[sherleyuki]

Hi Everyone, I am starting my donor process in TMC PJ/KL. If anyone needs more information, let me know.

HI Denice, i am also getting quotes from TMC KL and thinking of getting the donor eggs to freeze first can you tell me how is their service and which dr did you choose? Thanks.

 

[chun.yi]

Hi there only_you. Last year I went to Dr. Ann Tan in Mount Elizabeth for health screen. As far as I know she offers such option. Here give it a try http://www.anntan.com.sg/ I love reading her pages about healthy pregnancy and once read about donor eggs.

 

[skippyloo]

Hi Everyone, I am starting my donor process in TMC PJ/KL. If anyone needs more information, let me know.

Hello. I would like to know the total cost of having donor eggs as well as the egg transfer to my womb. Also would like to know if the selection process for the donor...thank you very much

 

[sjsivfcare]

If you want reasonable cost of entire treatments, i think india would be great and there is many hospitals which also provide egg donors

 

[skippyloo]

If you want reasonable cost of entire treatments, i think india would be great and there is many hospitals which also provide egg donors

Does India have eggs donor of Chinese ethic group?

 

[Ewlyneps]

Hi Everyone, I am starting my donor process in TMC PJ/KL. If anyone needs more information, let me know.

Hi Denice, may I know the detail of this program , how is the procedure looks like. How much is the total cost incurred ?

 

[sjsivfcare]

Does India have eggs donor of Chinese ethic group?

i don't know about Chinese ethic group in india, sorry

 

[Soka Lion]

Anyone can share egg donor program in Malaysia? It's cost and procedure etc? Any good docs in JB?

Hi there, I glad to have found this forum. We are also looking to get an egg donor from Malaysia. I read that the Malaysian Govt was proposing a law to regulate fertility treatments way back in 2015 although it seems that nothing has happened yet.

Does anyone know anything about this?

 

[Felicia0116]

Hi all, let me know anyone of you are looking for egg donor. age 27.
Working here for nearly 5 yrs. experienced as an egg donor last year under kkh. so i'm aware and familiar with the process of being as an egg donor.

can contact me via
[email protected] for further discussion.

 

[cartier]

Hello everyone ,

I am looking for my bundle of miracle.
I am 33 years old with onset early menopause the only way for me to conceive is through egg donor.

Will someone be kind enough to have frozen eggs left to donate to me ?
I am willing to pay a token of appreciation.
Life is so tough without a child. I tried 3 years. My period is no longer active. I have no more period .

I avoid all family occasions worrying someone would ask me the big question.

Please could someone help me ?

Rachel

Hi Rachel,

It is not easy to find someone you know to donate egg, not to mention looking for one in the forum whom you don’t know, especially since no monetary compensation is allowed for egg donor in Singapore. Most who had their eggs retrieved typically done so as part of IVF program and would have attempted to fertilize the egg, thus chance of someone with left over frozen egg is very slim. Are you open to explore getting egg donor from oversea?

 

[MiracleMiracle]

Hi, I'm looking for egg donor too? I just failed my 3rd ivf cycle with no eggs. Doctor comment that i will have less than 1% to succeed.

 

[gnovik56]

Hello, and someone thought about turning to donors of eggs from Russia or Ukraine? After all, in this case, any appearance of the donor, including Asian, and relatively low prices is possible. If you are interested, you can write to e-mail [email protected]

 

[Angelica Cheng]

What are the available options and choices for women considering egg donation in Singapore? - Quora

5 egg donation options for Singaporeans :

Option 1: Seek out your own relatives or close friends as egg donors

• Advantages

1. An obvious advantage of using a blood relative such as a sibling or cousin as an egg donor, is that you have a genetic link to the conceived child. Additionally, you would also be familiar with any hereditary genetic diseases that run in the family. Here are the various fractions of DNA that you would share with your child, with different types of blood relatives as egg donor: full sister - 25%(1/4), half-sister or niece - 12.5%(1/8), first cousin - 6.25%(1/16), second cousin - 3.125%(1/32). Note that if you were using your own eggs, you would share 50%(1/2) of DNA with your child.
2. The advantage of using a close friend is that you know her character and what she looks like, traits that may possibly be inherited by the conceived child.

• Disadvantages

1. It may be challenging to find a “young enough” donor among your own circle of friends and relatives, preferably below 30 years old, as recommended by most fertility clinics. Using older egg donors will obviously decrease your chances of success.
2. Egg donation from close relatives may possibly cause awkwardness and tension in future family relationships, particularly at family gatherings during major festivals such as Chinese New Year.
3. There is a lack of egg donor anonymity, and increased chances of the secret of the child’s conception being leaked out, either deliberately or inadvertently by a third party.

Option 2: Import frozen donor eggs from an overseas egg bank

Egg Donation in Singapore - Good News !!! Singapore allows import of frozen donor eggs from Egg Bank in Penang Malaysia

Good News for all Singaporean IVF patients requiring Egg Donation !!! Singapore has permitted import of frozen donor eggs from Egg Bank Asia, based in Penang, Malaysia. This Egg Bank has a wide and excellent choice of Chinese race egg donors. Currently there are 3 clinics in Singapore, which...

singaporemotherhood.com

• Advantages

1. Donor anonymity is maintained.
2. There is a wide choice of donors available in foreign egg banks based in Western countries, even Asian and Chinese ones. Increasing demand worldwide has led to egg banks in Western countries recruiting donors of such ethnicity.

• Disadvantages

1. Besides the high costs of the frozen eggs, the transportation cost from a foreign country to Singapore is also very expensive, as it requires a special cryogenic container.
2. A special custom permit is required to avoid the imported samples being subjected to x-ray, which could be highly damaging to the frozen eggs. Extensive paperwork may be required which could further add to the already high costs.
3. Despite technological advances such as vitrification, the success rate with frozen eggs is still significantly lower than fresh eggs.
4. Asian/Chinese donors eggs may be more expensive to procure from egg banks based in Western countries, as compared to Caucasian ones, due to the scarcity of Asian/Chinese donors in Western countries

Option 3: Look for an egg donor through the internet who is paid secretly, or utilize a foreign agency to send an egg donor to Singapore (strictly not recommended)

• Advantages

1. Freelance egg donors that you find from internet websites may be much cheaper than using a foreign egg donor agency..
2. On the other hand, utilizing a well-established foreign egg donor agency may be a ‘safer’ option. Most reputable foreign agencies will insist on having a coordinator to accompany the donor to Singapore, to ensure that the donor punctiliously self-administers hormonal injections to stimulate her ovaries, as well as to make sure she fulfills her part of the contract.

• Disadvantages

1. Secret under-the-table payments to either freelance egg donors or foreign egg donor agencies are illegal under Singapore law.
2. After paying freelance egg donors, there is no guarantee that they will fulfill their part of the bargain, in which case you have no legal recourse for recovering your money. Because payment for egg donation is illegal in Singapore, you will only implicate yourself in an illegal transaction if you decide to sue the would-be freelance egg donor.
3. It maybe difficult to ensure that the freelance egg donor faithfully follows the painful and tedious procedure of daily hormone injections to stimulate egg production within her ovaries.
4. Utilizing a foreign egg donor agency to send an egg donor to Singapore will be much more expensive. Besides the agency fees, there are also extra traveling and accommodation costs.
5. It may be difficult for illicit payment to either a freelance egg donor or foreign egg donor agency to leak out. But if it does leak out, you will definitely end up in big trouble. Several years ago, a Singaporean tycoon was jailed and fined for paying an Indonesian man to donate his kidney.
6. Additionally, it must be noted that local Singaporean IVF clinics would require both the recipient couple and egg donor to sign a declaration form stating that the donation is altruistic. Hence the crime of perjury would be committed by signing a false declaration.

Option 4: Travel overseas for egg donation at a foreign fertility clinic

• Advantages

1. The medical fees of foreign fertility clinics are often much cheaper compared to Singapore.
2. Foreign egg donors are permitted to receive generous financial compensation abroad. As a result, there is a wide choice of egg donors of different ethnicity, physical characteristics and educational attainment available.
3. Some local clinics have collaborative ties with foreign clinics that carry out egg donation. Hence, they would be able to advise you on egg donation overseas, as well as co-ordinate with foreign clinics in synchronizing hormonal injections to prepare your womb to be receptive for the egg donation procedure overseas.
4. Preimplantation Genetic Screening (PGS) of embryos, which is highly restricted in Singapore, is readily available overseas. This might be an important consideration for patients receiving donated eggs, since it is unknown whether the anonymous egg donor is carrying any genetic defects.
5. The use of PGS for embryo sex selection may be permitted in foreign countries.

• Disadvantages

1. There is no government co-funding and you cannot utilize your Central Provident Fund (CPF) for fertility treatment abroad.
2. There is also the hassle and costs of overseas travel and hotel stay, which may be minimized if you choose a fertility clinic in nearby Johor Bahru.
3. Knowing that patients are fearful of unknown genetic defects carried by the anonymous egg donor, foreign fertility clinics often strongly advocate patients to do expensive PGS, instead of recommending cheaper alternatives such as genetic testing of the egg donor’s blood sample, and Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT). This is not in the patient’s best interest, and is likely an attempt by foreign fertility clinics to make extra money off Singaporean patients.

Option 5: Utilize leftover frozen eggs from a local fertility clinic

• Advantages

1. Spare leftover frozen eggs are donated altruistically by other IVF patients who have successfully conceived a child, as a gesture of goodwill and desire to help others.

• Disadvantages

1. These are generally very scarce, but can be obtained from three sources: (i) Single women facing premature menopause or undergoing medical treatment that will damage their fertility such as chemotherapy are allowed to freeze their eggs. (ii) A few married couples undergoing IVF choose to freeze their excess unfertilized eggs instead of embryos for religious or personal reasons, as they view frozen embryos as ‘living entities’ that should not be culled through disposal. (iii) Contingency egg freezing is sometimes performed when the husband is unable to produce a usable sperm sample on the day of egg extraction surgery, for example ejaculation failure due to stress.
2. As expected, patients would use their best quality eggs for their own treatment, so the few frozen leftovers would be of questionable quality.
3. Upon receiving altruistic donation of leftover spare frozen eggs by other patients, be wary of being overcharged high medical fees by the fertility clinic, which could in fact "mask" the sale of the altruistically-donated eggs to you.
4. Take note that fertility doctors persuading former patients to altruistically donate leftover frozen eggs to you face a conflict of interest, because they will be earning additional medical fees by performing the egg donation procedure on you. Moreover, such fertility doctors may manipulate and abuse the doctor-patient fiduciary relationship during the donation consent process, by exploiting their former patient's gratitude to them for successful fertility treatment.

 

[Angelica Cheng]

Dear ladies, do give some feedback on egg donation in Malaysia:

Singaporeans head to Malaysia, elsewhere to find IVF 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.. Read more at straitstimes.com.

www.straitstimes.com

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.

 

[AnnabelleK]

hi, do email me to discuss further at [email protected] if anyone would like an egg donor.

 

[Celyn yee]

Hi I’m keen to become an egg donor. 29 years old. Please email me @ [email protected] for further discussion.

 

[Angelica Cheng]

Interesting article from Today Online: https://www.todayonline.com/commentary/overseas-egg-donors-what-singaporean-women-should-be-wary

Overseas egg donors — what Singaporean women should be wary of

Recent news media reports suggest that most Singaporean women requiring egg donation travel abroad for the procedure.

Strict regulations against payment of egg donors have resulted in a persistent shortage of donated eggs in Singapore. At the same time, women in Singapore do not have the option of freezing their own eggs when they are younger, due to the current ban on social egg freezing. This would leave many of them with no choice but to resort to overseas egg donation to conceive a child.

Foreign egg donors often receive generous payment abroad. Hence, there is a large pool of anonymous egg donors of suitable ethnicity to choose from abroad. Moreover, the medical fees of foreign fertility clinics may be much cheaper compared to Singapore.

In fact, some local fertility clinics have collaborative ties with foreign clinics that perform egg donation. Hence, they would be able to advise patients on egg donation overseas, as well as coordinate with foreign clinics in the timing of hormonal injections to prepare the patient’s womb to be receptive for the egg-donation procedure abroad.

However, due to the less stringent regulation of fertility treatment in other countries, Singaporean patients may face a variety of marketing gimmicks and misleading information on the egg-donation procedure. Hence, it is imperative to highlight what Singaporean patients should be wary of, when travelling abroad for egg donation.

Although some claims put forward by foreign fertility clinics appear to have a sound scientific basis, it is important for patients to understand the limitations of such claims. For example, consider the claim that the egg-donation procedure has a much higher success rate compared to standard in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment.

This is generally true to a large extent, simply because the selected egg donors are young and healthy. However, if the recipient patient had previous health problems with her womb that lead to recurrent miscarriages (e.g. endometriosis, uterine fibroids), then her chances of conceiving through egg donation might be much lower than advertised by the fertility clinic.

Other claims may have less scientific basis. For example, many foreign fertility clinics strongly encourage their patients undergoing egg donation to utilise preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) to detect genetic defects in the conceived embryos, due to the unknown genetic heritage of the anonymous foreign egg donor.

Yet they often neglect to tell patients that similar genetic screening of the donor’s blood sample is much cheaper than PGS. Patients must also be aware that PGS is not a fool-proof method to detect genetic abnormalities in embryos, despite its high costs.

There is a only a limited panel of common genetic diseases that PGS will detect, so it is impossible to screen and verify the entire genome of each individual embryo to be free of genetic defects.

One notable example that cannot be detected by PGS is Autism Spectrum Disorders that are caused by multiple genes interacting with multiple factors within the birth environment.

Additionally, if the egg donor is very young, it is unnecessary to utilise PGS to screen for Down syndrome that usually arises from genetic abnormalities in the eggs of older women.

Although many fertility clinics claim that PGS can improve the IVF success rates of older women, this only refers to older women using their own eggs, which have a high incidence of genetic abnormalities. PGS will not improve the success rates of older women using a young egg donor.

It must also be noted that PGS is not completely risk-free. There is a small chance of damaging the embryo as this delicate procedure involves drilling a hole through its protective shell (zona), to extract cells for genetic testing.

An important fact that is often downplayed by foreign fertility clinics is that the recipient patient’s age does really matter in egg donation. Recent much-hyped news reports about elderly women successfully giving birth in their 60s and 70s have led to many misconceptions.

It is well-established in the medical literature that the risks of medical complications during pregnancy increase with maternal age.

Another factor to consider is whether the expected remaining lifespans of the recipient couple are sufficient for raising a child to adulthood.

Older patients travelling abroad for egg donation should ask themselves whether as elderly parents, they would be able to cope with the physical rigours of child-rearing.

Yet another critical piece of information that is often downplayed by foreign fertility clinics is the risk of accidental incest between half-siblings conceived by the same egg donor.

Although such risks may be minimised in Singapore through safeguards that limit the number of children conceived per donor to three, it must be noted that there is no limit to the number of Singaporean recipients that a single foreign egg donor can donate to abroad.

The risks of accidental incest may be further compounded by the much reported phenomenon of ‘Genetic Sexual Attraction’, which is sexual attraction between close-relatives that first meet as adults, for example siblings that are separated at birth and adopted by different families.

This is particularly significant for Singaporean patients, given the small size and high population density of their country.

Patients should also take note of a deceptive marketing gimmick that claims a woman receiving egg donation passes some of her genetic material to the conceived child.

This misconception came about because of misleading news reports a few years ago, about the gene expression behaviour of embryos being influenced by the nurturing fluid produced by the womb lining. This is due to the embryo taking up a molecule known as microRNA, which is a chemical relative of DNA.

Being closely-related to DNA, microRNA can very broadly and loosely be considered a form of genetic material. However it is extremely short-lived and fragile, and does not transmit genetic inheritance from parent to child.

Some foreign fertility clinics may offer frozen egg donation as a cheaper alternative to fresh egg donation. The lower expenses are due to simpler logistics, as there is no need to synchronise the hormonal stimulation cycles of the donor and recipient patient, as well as cost savings from negating the travel and hotel stay required for fresh egg donation.

However, the significantly lower success rates of frozen versus fresh egg donation, are often downplayed.

Last, but not least, Singaporean patients should also be aware of the lack of appropriate counselling for egg donation overseas. Rigorous counselling 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.

Perhaps, to avoid the perils and hassles of overseas egg donation, the Ministry of Health in Singapore should look at various ways to boost the local supply of donated eggs.

One solution may be to permit adequate monetary compensation for egg donation, which is a tedious and painful procedure. Another solution may be to permit social egg freezing with certain conditions, such as age limits of 35, which would negate the need for egg donation.

At the same time, permitting social egg freezing will also likely lead to an accumulated surplus of unused frozen eggs that can potentially be donated to infertile women.

 

[Botbot]

We are also looking for any forum or reviews on Malaysia donor egg facilities. Any one did it with donor eggs overseas? Could you kindly share your experience with us?

We are a Chinese couple and have been TTC for a few years now. We are also open to doing donor eggs in Singapore. But sadly, do not know of anyone willing to donate their eggs.

Thanks

 

[Angelica Cheng]

We are also looking for any forum or reviews on Malaysia donor egg facilities. Any one did it with donor eggs overseas? Could you kindly share your experience with us?

We are a Chinese couple and have been TTC for a few years now. We are also open to doing donor eggs in Singapore. But sadly, do not know of anyone willing to donate their eggs.

Thanks

Dear Botbot,

Please kindly click on this website links for more information:

Choices and options available for patients considering egg donation in Singapore. What are the disadvantages and pitfalls of using an egg donor?

Please click on the following Quora website link: https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-available-options-and-choices-for-women-considering-egg-donation-in-Singapore In Singapore, it is mandated by law that egg donation should be altruistic (Human Cloning and Other Prohibited Practices Act). Egg...

singaporemotherhood.com

 

[Angelica Cheng]

We are also looking for any forum or reviews on Malaysia donor egg facilities. Any one did it with donor eggs overseas? Could you kindly share your experience with us?

We are a Chinese couple and have been TTC for a few years now. We are also open to doing donor eggs in Singapore. But sadly, do not know of anyone willing to donate their eggs.

Thanks

Here are three tips for Singaporean patients considering egg donation in Malaysia:

(1) Do not do highly-expensive genetic screening of IVF embryos (PGS / PGT-A). Instead, insist on doing genetic testing of the egg donor's blood sample, which is much cheaper than PGS. Moreover, you can also use NIPT (Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing) to screen for genetic defects in your unborn child after conception, which is also much cheaper than PGS.

Egg donation in Malaysia - Beware lack of rigorous genetic screening of Egg Donor (blood sample) and being pushed to do expensive PGS / PGT-A

In USA, Europe and Australasia, there are rigorous and high standards for genetic screening of prospective Egg Donors (blood sample), before they are even allowed to donate, which largely negate the requirement for recipient patients to use expensive preimplantation genetic screening ( PGS /...

singaporemotherhood.com

Is PGS / PGT-A really necessary for an egg donation cycle? Why not do Genetic Testing on the egg donor's blood sample?

A couple of months ago, before all the coronavirus lockdowns, me and my husband visited and inquired about egg donation at three Malaysian IVF clinics. All 3 clinics strongly advocated that we should use PGS / PGT-A with egg donation. They told us that because it is difficult to verify whether...

singaporemotherhood.com

(2) Use egg donors that reside locally within the same city as the IVF clinic. Avoid using traveling egg donors from out-of-town or out-of-state, who reside far away from the IVF clinic. It is much more difficult to control and monitor the ovarian stimulation cycle of traveling egg donors from out-of-town. If possible, insist that the egg donor regularly receives hormone injections (recorded) by a nurse at the IVF clinic itself.

Egg Donation in Johor Malaysia - traveling egg donors from out-of-town may not strictly follow ovarian stimulation protocol of hormone injections

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...

singaporemotherhood.com

(3) When doing IVF with frozen (vitrified) donor eggs, use the same fertility clinic or IVF lab that recruited the egg donor and freeze her eggs. Avoid using frozen donor eggs that are transferred from an egg bank. If possible, use the IVF lab that is affiliated with that egg bank. 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. Also beware that IVF success rates with frozen donor eggs are significantly lower than with fresh donor eggs.

Frozen (vitrified) Egg Donation in Malaysia- Ensure fertility clinic that do IVF / ICSI with frozen donor egg is also same clinic that freeze the eggs

Frozen (vitrified) donor eggs have caught on in popularity in recent years due to the following reasons: More convenient - there is no need to synchronize the timing and hormonal stimulation cycles of egg donors and recipient patients. Cheaper - due to negating the travel and hotel costs...

singaporemotherhood.com

 

[Angelica Cheng]

We are also looking for any forum or reviews on Malaysia donor egg facilities. Any one did it with donor eggs overseas? Could you kindly share your experience with us?

We are a Chinese couple and have been TTC for a few years now. We are also open to doing donor eggs in Singapore. But sadly, do not know of anyone willing to donate their eggs.

Thanks

Here is a review of egg donor agencies and egg donation programs in Malaysia:

Review of egg donor agency and egg donation programs in Malaysia. Beware of additional costs in Johor !

Dear Ladies, Below is a list of egg donor agencies in Malaysia. Typically, these agencies charge between 20k to 25K Malaysian ringgits, if you approach them directly. Cost will usually be higher if you ask a Malaysian IVF clinic to source egg donors for you from these agencies, typically...

singaporemotherhood.com

 

[Angelica Cheng]

We are also looking for any forum or reviews on Malaysia donor egg facilities. Any one did it with donor eggs overseas? Could you kindly share your experience with us?

We are a Chinese couple and have been TTC for a few years now. We are also open to doing donor eggs in Singapore. But sadly, do not know of anyone willing to donate their eggs.

Thanks

Please also see this thread:

Egg Donation in Singapore - Good News !!! Singapore allows import of frozen donor eggs from Egg Bank in Penang Malaysia

Good News for all Singaporean IVF patients requiring Egg Donation !!! Singapore has permitted import of frozen donor eggs from Egg Bank Asia, based in Penang, Malaysia. This Egg Bank has a wide and excellent choice of Chinese race egg donors. Currently there are 3 clinics in Singapore, which...

singaporemotherhood.com

 

[Angelica Cheng]

To circumvent COVID-19 travel restrictions, Singapore now allows IVF patients to freeze and transport the husband's sperm to foreign fertility clinics or egg banks, where these can be used to fertilize fresh donor eggs to produce frozen embryos, which can then be imported into Singapore.

This has 3 major advantages over the import of frozen unfertilized donor eggs:

(i) Fresh donor eggs typically produce better quality embryos and higher IVF success rates than frozen donor eggs.

(ii) It is well-known that sperm and embryos, particularly Day 5 Blastocysts are much more hardy and survive the freezing process much better than unfertilized eggs. Therefore, it is always better to transport frozen embryos rather than frozen unfertilized eggs into Singapore.

(iii) Best results are obtained by using the IVF lab affiliated with the egg bank, which recruited the egg donor and froze her eggs. IVF patients should avoid using frozen donor eggs that are transferred to their clinic from an external egg bank. This is because the thawing protocol must be matching and compatible with the freezing (vitrification) protocol (somewhat analogous to a lock and key). Only the same IVF lab that performs both the freezing and thawing processes can ensure this, to attain best IVF success rates.

Please refer to the following video podcast by Dr. John Jain, an American fertility specialist:

Sunfert International Fertility Centre (KL, Malaysia), now accepts frozen sperm samples from Singapore for fertilization of donor eggs to produce embryos, which are then frozen down and transported back to Singapore. Please note that import of IVF embryos into Singapore is only permitted if these have not been genetically tested by PGS / PGT-A.

Sunfert @ Bangsar South
Sunfert International Fertility Centre Sdn. Bhd.
Unit 2-2, Level 2, Nexus, Bangsar South
7, Jalan Kerinchi, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

T +60 (3) 7622 8688
F +60 (3) 2242 3168
E [email protected]
W www.sunfert.com
S www.facebook.com/sunfert


Details of egg donor program at the Singapore side:

Sunfert International Fertility Centre is currently working with the following fertility specialists in Singapore, for the freezing and export of the Husband's sperm sample into Malaysia, and subsequent import of the produced frozen embryos into Singapore for transfer to patients.

• Dr. Suresh Nair - Seed of Life:

Meet Dr. Suresh Nair | Seed Of Life

Meet Dr. Suresh Nair "We utilize the minimally invasive robotic approach to surgeries that help women conceive. Robotic surgery is optimal in reproductive surgeries as it is less painful, offers smaller incisions; thus very minimal scaring, and provides for faster recovery time, which means an...

seedoflifesingapore.com

• Dr. Christine Yap - Mt. Elizabeth Fertility Centre:

Dr. Yap Hui Ann Christine - Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre - Private Healthcare In Singapore

1991 MBBS National University of Singapore1995 MRCOG Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (UK)1996 MMed National University of Singapore1996 MRACOG Royal Australian College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists 1999 FRANZCOG Royal Australian & New Zealand College...

www.memc.com.sg

For the exact costs of freezing Husband's sperm sample and subsequent frozen embryo transfer, please contact the above doctors and their affiliated fertility centres.

Details and costs of egg donor program at the Malaysia side -Sunfert International Fertility Centre:

The IVF-Egg Donation Programme Package costs MYR 32,000 + MYR 16,000 (donor's reimbursement via CASH / BANKTRANSFER ONLY).

The egg donation program has many Chinese donors. These donors are selected based on good ovarian reserve (good AMH levels) therefore between 8 - 12 eggs are expected to be harvested. However, there is no guarantee that eggs will be recovered or that fertilization will occur, embryo development / transfer / pregnancy from any fertility treatment.

The egg donation package includes the following:

• Donor's clinical & blood investigations related to infectious disease screening.
• Medication for the donor & recipient (up to pregnancy test).
• Doctor's professional fee & Laboratory charges (IVF/ICSI)
• Blastocyst culture, Laser Assisted Hatching (if necessary) & Time-Lapse Imaging up to 12 eggs by using one of the best platforms called the EmbryoScope®)
• Cryofreezing of excess embryos & cryopreservation maintenance charges for the first 6 months
• Psychological Assessment & Counselling (PAC) session (compulsory 1.5 hour session for all recipient)
• 1st Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET)

However, the egg donation package price does not include the following:

• Initial consultation and scan with our specialist, initial blood screening & semen analysis
• Embryo cryopreservation maintenance charges (MYR 1200 / year)
• Other adjunct treatment/services such as sperm separation, Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis/Screening (PGD/PGS), IMSI & Colorado Protocol
• Further medications once pregnancy is confirmed by blood test

Costs of export and import of frozen sperm and embryos respectively, by Ulink Sdn Bhd:

The Malaysian company Ulink (Sdn Bhd) can now handle export of Husband's frozen sperm sample to any fertility clinic in Malaysia, together with subsequent import of frozen embryos into a local IVF clinic in Singapore.

Their charges are RM4,500 for one-way, or RM9,000 for to-and-fro transportation, including all administrative fees for custom paperwork, as well as custom duties.

Ulink (Sdn Bhd) company website: ulinkassist.com
Contact person: Ms. Charmaine Khoo
Email address: [email protected]
Tel: +6016 625 2923 +603 7866 0640
Address: 8 Jalan 55 1/9A, Petaling Jaya 47301, Selangor, Malaysia