Angelica Cheng
Active Member
https://gutzy.asia/2023/10/03/what-...t-importing-frozen-donor-eggs-into-singapore/
Nevertheless, the import of frozen donor eggs from approved foreign egg banks (some of which are in Malaysia) is permitted by the Singaporean Ministry of Health.
It must be noted that egg donors are restricted to three live births in Singapore, so it is necessary for your fertility clinic to check with the egg bank whether frozen eggs from the same donor have previously been used in Singapore.
Alternatively, Singaporean patients can also travel overseas for fresh egg donation at a foreign IVF clinic, of which Malaysia is an increasingly popular destination.
Hence, IVF patients requiring egg donation in Singapore have to choose between fresh versus frozen egg donation.
It is thus necessary for them to understand the various advantages and drawbacks of frozen versus fresh egg donation, before making their choice.
The major advantages of frozen donor eggs are as follows:
What IVF patients should know about importing frozen donor eggs into Singapore
A recent Channel News Asia article entitled “Egg donation in Singapore: What couples with complex infertility need to know if they want to have a baby”, described the challenges faced by infertile women seeking egg donors in Singapore, which are in short supply due to strict regulations that require egg donation to be altruistic.Nevertheless, the import of frozen donor eggs from approved foreign egg banks (some of which are in Malaysia) is permitted by the Singaporean Ministry of Health.
It must be noted that egg donors are restricted to three live births in Singapore, so it is necessary for your fertility clinic to check with the egg bank whether frozen eggs from the same donor have previously been used in Singapore.
Alternatively, Singaporean patients can also travel overseas for fresh egg donation at a foreign IVF clinic, of which Malaysia is an increasingly popular destination.
Hence, IVF patients requiring egg donation in Singapore have to choose between fresh versus frozen egg donation.
It is thus necessary for them to understand the various advantages and drawbacks of frozen versus fresh egg donation, before making their choice.
The major advantages of frozen donor eggs are as follows:
- More convenient and easier to manage, because there is no need to synchronize the treatment cycle of the recipient patient with that of the egg donor.
- The number and quality of eggs are known and guaranteed for frozen egg donation, unlike the case of fresh egg donation where there is also a risk of cycle cancellation due to medical complications in the donor such as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHS).
- Frozen eggs are readily-available, so shorter time span from choosing an egg donor to IVF embryo transfer. Unlike fresh egg donation, there is no waiting time for various medical procedures to be performed on the egg donor, such as ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval.
- More rigorous and comprehensive screening of egg donors for genetic defects and infectious diseases. This is because egg banks usually export internationally to various countries worldwide, such as USA and Australia, where there are strict regulations for genetic testing and infectious disease screening. For example, infectious diseases such as HIV and Syphilis have an incubation period of several weeks, so it is best to test the egg donor for such diseases twice over an interval of 3 to 6 months. Two such tests are usually done for frozen egg donation, unlike fresh egg donation, where the donor is only tested once before egg collection. To comply with strict regulations in Western countries, egg banks usually test the blood samples of their donors for common genetic diseases such as spinal muscular atrophy, alpha and beta-thalassemia, and fragile-X syndrome. However, in Malaysia, egg donors are not routinely subjected to routine genetic testing of their blood samples due to lack of regulations. Instead, worried recipient patients are pushed and encouraged to do much more expensive embryo genetic testing (PGS/PGT-A) that risks damaging the embryo, without improving IVF success rates.
- Save the hassle and costs of traveling for fresh egg donation, particularly for Singaporean patients with busy work schedules.
- Most egg banks permit release of the egg donor’s identity to donor-conceived offspring at 18 years of age, in compliance with regulations in Western countries. By contrast, fresh egg donation in Malaysia is usually anonymous.