Seeking egg donor in Singapore

Is it easy to find egg donors in Singapore?

  • Yes

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No

    Votes: 8 100.0%

  • Total voters
    8

Rene1

New Member
Hi, my husband and I are an Indian couple based in Singapore.

We found each other later in life. We have been trying to have a child of our own past few years and it’s been a uphill battle. Our last ivf cycle too ended in disappointment. We have bee advised to consider egg donor.

We are in search of a kindhearted woman to bless us with donor eggs to help us bring an angel to this world. We are well educated and are able to provide adequate support to the willing donor to help us through this process.

Our only hope now is through the generosity and kindness of an egg donor. If you are 20-36 years of age, Indian ethnicity (or a close match in appearance), ideally based in Singapore, healthy, non smoker are interested in helping our dreams of having a family come true then please pm me or contact me at my number.

We are a serious and responsible couple and would like to start the process soonest possible.
 


Please click on the following website link:

Relevant Q & A on the Quora website:



Please also see the following previous threads:








 

Attachments

  • donor-egg-ivf-success-rate-comparison-768x512.png
    donor-egg-ivf-success-rate-comparison-768x512.png
    182.4 KB · Views: 185
Last edited:
Hi, my husband and I are an Indian couple based in Singapore.

We found each other later in life. We have been trying to have a child of our own past few years and it’s been a uphill battle. Our last ivf cycle too ended in disappointment. We have bee advised to consider egg donor.

We are in search of a kindhearted woman to bless us with donor eggs to help us bring an angel to this world. We are well educated and are able to provide adequate support to the willing donor to help us through this process.

Our only hope now is through the generosity and kindness of an egg donor. If you are 20-30 years of age, Indian ethnicity (or a close match in appearance), ideally based in Singapore, healthy, non smoker are interested in helping our dreams of having a family come true then please pm me or contact me at my number.

We are a serious and responsible couple and would like to start the process soonest possible.
 
Hi, I was advised that the Ministry of Health permit patients to import frozen eggs from a European egg bank ("Ovogenebank", formerly known as "First Egg Bank", see attached catalogue and price list). But not sure whether they would have an Indian donor.

However, I saw on several websites that the success rates for frozen donor eggs is significantly lower than fresh donor eggs (see attached bar chart). Therefore, I am hesitant whether or not to take this route.

Beware of the risks of using frozen donor eggs imported from an egg bank, says an American fertility specialist:


At another fertility clinic, a nurse hinted to me that I can secretly use a Malaysian or Thai egg donor agency to discreetly send an egg donor to Singapore. But payment must be kept secret. The donor and us must sign a form declaring that the donor is not paid and donating her eggs altruistically to us. The nurse also hinted to me that the doctor and fertility counselor may suspect or secretly know that we are using a foreign agency and paying the egg donor, but they will be willing to 'close one eye' and look the other way.

All legal liability will be on us, since we have signed the form declaring that the egg donation is unpaid and altruistic. The clinic and IVF lab will be free of any legal responsibility for the secret payment, once the appropriate forms have been signed. I am seriously considering taking up this route for egg donation, and am wondering whether fellow bloggers have had any experience taking this route. Please share your experience.
 

Attachments

  • FEB catalog of Asian donors.pdf
    1.3 MB · Views: 340
  • donor-egg-ivf-success-rate-comparison-768x512.png
    donor-egg-ivf-success-rate-comparison-768x512.png
    182.4 KB · Views: 163
  • Price List Egg Donor Plans.pdf
    284.8 KB · Views: 366
Last edited:
Interesting article from Today Online:

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.
 
Last edited:
Thanks. We researched the info as well. Our condition needs a angel donor. So we hope for someone willing to help us.
 
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
 
Hi, we are still looking for a Chinese young donor in Singapore who is willing to help us fulfill our dreams of having children. We are willing to compensate for costs incurred by her e.g. transport etc etc

We have been trying to conceive for 3 years now. Tried 3 rounds of IVF, 2 IUIs, had a miscarriage when baby was 8 weeks and multiple chemical pregnancies. Seen several doctors and believed the root cause is the quality of my egg. I'm 41 and my husband is 46.

We contacted first egg bank but their costs for Asian embryos are really high. Around $S20k for 6 oocytes. (Breakdown below for those who are interested)

6 oocytes - 9500 euro
8 oocytes - 12600 euro
12 oocytes - 19000 euro
Transport 3100 euro

They tie up with Mount Elizabeth and the cost there is another 10-15K. (This portion is more palatable as I'll have to incur this as part of the process regardless if I do IVF or donor eggs)

We are hoping to find someone in Singapore willing to reach out and help us.

Age: Below 27
Race: Chinese
Blood group: B+ or O
Nil family medical history that can be inherited thru genes e.g. Cancer.
 
Hi, we are still looking for a Chinese young donor in Singapore who is willing to help us fulfill our dreams of having children. We are willing to compensate for costs incurred by her e.g. transport etc etc

We have been trying to conceive for 3 years now. Tried 3 rounds of IVF, 2 IUIs, had a miscarriage when baby was 8 weeks and multiple chemical pregnancies. Seen several doctors and believed the root cause is the quality of my egg. I'm 41 and my husband is 46.

We contacted first egg bank but their costs for Asian embryos are really high. Around $S20k for 6 oocytes. (Breakdown below for those who are interested)

6 oocytes - 9500 euro
8 oocytes - 12600 euro
12 oocytes - 19000 euro
Transport 3100 euro

They tie up with Mount Elizabeth and the cost there is another 10-15K. (This portion is more palatable as I'll have to incur this as part of the process regardless if I do IVF or donor eggs)

We are hoping to find someone in Singapore willing to reach out and help us.

Age: Below 27
Race: Chinese
Blood group: B+ or O
Nil family medical history that can be inherited thru genes e.g. Cancer.
Dear Botbot,

This Egg Bank based in Europe in fact sourced their Chinese and Asian donors from another egg bank in Penang, Malaysia. (Some of the catalog photos and donor profiles are very similar, if not identical). The irony is that this particular egg bank in Malaysia has not been officially approved by MOH for import.

Here are the websites of the Malaysian Egg Bank:

https://fertilitymy.com/home/asian-egg-donors


In fact I inquired at the Malaysian Egg Bank, and they told me that it would not be possible for them to directly export frozen donor eggs to Singapore, as there is no MOH approval. So I need to go through "Ovogenebank", formerly known as "First Egg Bank".

This Malaysian egg bank is closely-affiliated with the Island Fertility Centre in Penang. An added advantage is that they also provide fresh donor eggs to patients of Island Fertility Centre.

You may consider going there after this pandemic is over.

 
Last edited:
Hi, we are still looking for a Chinese young donor in Singapore who is willing to help us fulfill our dreams of having children. We are willing to compensate for costs incurred by her e.g. transport etc etc

We have been trying to conceive for 3 years now. Tried 3 rounds of IVF, 2 IUIs, had a miscarriage when baby was 8 weeks and multiple chemical pregnancies. Seen several doctors and believed the root cause is the quality of my egg. I'm 41 and my husband is 46.

We contacted first egg bank but their costs for Asian embryos are really high. Around $S20k for 6 oocytes. (Breakdown below for those who are interested)

6 oocytes - 9500 euro
8 oocytes - 12600 euro
12 oocytes - 19000 euro
Transport 3100 euro

They tie up with Mount Elizabeth and the cost there is another 10-15K. (This portion is more palatable as I'll have to incur this as part of the process regardless if I do IVF or donor eggs)

We are hoping to find someone in Singapore willing to reach out and help us.

Age: Below 27
Race: Chinese
Blood group: B+ or O
Nil family medical history that can be inherited thru genes e.g. Cancer.

Hi Botbot,
Do you have the full cost breakdown for Mt E (cost of bringing frozen donor egg +ivf)? And is it for 6 oocytes + transport?
thanks!
 
Hi, I was advised that the Ministry of Health permit patients to import frozen eggs from a European egg bank ("Ovogenebank", formerly known as "First Egg Bank", see attached catalogue and price list). But not sure whether they would have an Indian donor.

However, I saw on several websites that the success rates for frozen donor eggs is significantly lower than fresh donor eggs (see attached bar chart). Therefore, I am hesitant whether or not to take this route.

Beware of the risks of using frozen donor eggs imported from an egg bank, says an American fertility specialist:


At another fertility clinic, a nurse hinted to me that I can secretly use a Malaysian or Thai egg donor agency to discreetly send an egg donor to Singapore. But payment must be kept secret. The donor and us must sign a form declaring that the donor is not paid and donating her eggs altruistically to us. The nurse also hinted to me that the doctor and fertility counselor may suspect or secretly know that we are using a foreign agency and paying the egg donor, but they will be willing to 'close one eye' and look the other way.

All legal liability will be on us, since we have signed the form declaring that the egg donation is unpaid and altruistic. The clinic and IVF lab will be free of any legal responsibility for the secret payment, once the appropriate forms have been signed. I am seriously considering taking up this route for egg donation, and am wondering whether fellow bloggers have had any experience taking this route. Please share your experience.

HI WHERE DID YOU GET THIS INFORMATION FROM THAT MINISTRY OF HEALTH IN SINGAPORE permit patients to import frozen eggs from a European egg bank ("Ovogenebank", formerly known as "First Egg Bank"

WHERE DID U GET THIS INFO I CANNOT SEEM TO FIND IT AND MOH DOESNT SEEM TO KNOW ABOUT THIS ALSO ?

PLEASE SHOW ME SOME PROOF ! DO NO SPREAD FALSE INFO HERE FOR PARENTS WITH HOPS OF HAVING A CHILD

R U SPREADING FAKE NEWS ?? @ADMIN PLEASE VERIFY THIS !
 
HI WHERE DID YOU GET THIS INFORMATION FROM THAT MINISTRY OF HEALTH IN SINGAPORE permit patients to import frozen eggs from a European egg bank ("Ovogenebank", formerly known as "First Egg Bank"

WHERE DID U GET THIS INFO I CANNOT SEEM TO FIND IT AND MOH DOESNT SEEM TO KNOW ABOUT THIS ALSO ?

PLEASE SHOW ME SOME PROOF ! DO NO SPREAD FALSE INFO HERE FOR PARENTS WITH HOPS OF HAVING A CHILD

R U SPREADING FAKE NEWS ?? @ADMIN PLEASE VERIFY THIS !
Dear sir/madam,

Please see the Mt. Elizabeth IVF website:

Scroll down and click on the "Egg Donor Programme" Tab.

You will see the following information:


  • Mount Elizabeth Fertility Centre is working with one of the largest egg donor banks in Europe to import donor eggs.
    The egg donor selection process can be complicated. We understand that the safety and quality of the donated oocytes are major concerns for patients trying for a successful pregnancy.
    To ensure this, all egg donors undergo infectious disease and genetic testing screening. In addition, the screening processes are in compliance with the European Union Tissues and Cells Directive (which sets and regulates the standards of quality and safety for the donation, procurement, testing, processing, preservation, storage and distribution of human tissues and cells) as well as Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority's (HFEA) regulations on egg donation.
    MEFC will facilitate and coordinate with the overseas egg bank to handle all the shipping logistics for you when you are ready to embark on our donor egg programme. Our team of IVF physicians, embryologists, psychologists and staff nurses are dedicated to supporting you in every way as you begin the journey to fulfilling your dreams of parenthood.
    To get started, please email [email protected] or call +65 6731 2693 / 2626 for an appointment where we can help to answer all your questions.
 
Last edited:
HI WHERE DID YOU GET THIS INFORMATION FROM THAT MINISTRY OF HEALTH IN SINGAPORE permit patients to import frozen eggs from a European egg bank ("Ovogenebank", formerly known as "First Egg Bank"

WHERE DID U GET THIS INFO I CANNOT SEEM TO FIND IT AND MOH DOESNT SEEM TO KNOW ABOUT THIS ALSO ?

PLEASE SHOW ME SOME PROOF ! DO NO SPREAD FALSE INFO HERE FOR PARENTS WITH HOPS OF HAVING A CHILD

R U SPREADING FAKE NEWS ?? @ADMIN PLEASE VERIFY THIS !

Please also see this comment by another member within the forum:

Also, see the following Straits Times Forum letter which alludes to import of frozen donor eggs into Singapore. If this is blatantly untrue, why would Straits Times publish it?
 
Last edited:
Dear sir/madam,

Please see the Mt. Elizabeth IVF website:

Scroll down and click on the "Egg Donor Programme" Tab.

You will see the following information:


  • Mount Elizabeth Fertility Centre is working with one of the largest egg donor banks in Europe to import donor eggs.
    The egg donor selection process can be complicated. We understand that the safety and quality of the donated oocytes are major concerns for patients trying for a successful pregnancy.
    To ensure this, all egg donors undergo infectious disease and genetic testing screening. In addition, the screening processes are in compliance with the European Union Tissues and Cells Directive (which sets and regulates the standards of quality and safety for the donation, procurement, testing, processing, preservation, storage and distribution of human tissues and cells) as well as Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority's (HFEA) regulations on egg donation.
    MEFC will facilitate and coordinate with the overseas egg bank to handle all the shipping logistics for you when you are ready to embark on our donor egg programme. Our team of IVF physicians, embryologists, psychologists and staff nurses are dedicated to supporting you in every way as you begin the journey to fulfilling your dreams of parenthood.
    To get started, please email [email protected] or call +65 6731 2693 / 2626 for an appointment where we can help to answer all your questions.

MOUNT E HAS STOPPED THE PROGRAM- TO WORK ON PROTOCOLS.. IT MIGHT TAKE MANY MONTHS OR MAYBE THE PROGRAM MAY NOT BE BROUGHT BACK. THIS IS WHAT WAS TOLD TO ME WHEN I CALLED MOUNT E FERTILITY CENTRE.


VIRITUS FERTILITY - IS STILL IN NEGOTIATION WITH OVERSEAS EGG BANK.... THIS WAS WHAT WAS TOLD TO ME OVER PHONE CALL AS WELL...

SO BASICALLY -- THE EGG DONOR PROGRAM IS ALL ON HOLD BY ALL THE FACILITATORS

SIGH .. NO HOPE
 
MOUNT E HAS STOPPED THE PROGRAM- TO WORK ON PROTOCOLS.. IT MIGHT TAKE MANY MONTHS OR MAYBE THE PROGRAM MAY NOT BE BROUGHT BACK. THIS IS WHAT WAS TOLD TO ME WHEN I CALLED MOUNT E FERTILITY CENTRE.


VIRITUS FERTILITY - IS STILL IN NEGOTIATION WITH OVERSEAS EGG BANK.... THIS WAS WHAT WAS TOLD TO ME OVER PHONE CALL AS WELL...

SO BASICALLY -- THE EGG DONOR PROGRAM IS ALL ON HOLD BY ALL THE FACILITATORS

SIGH .. NO HOPE
Dear lostpapa,
I can empathize with you and share your frustrations.

I personally think that the best option for us Singaporean patients, is to wait out this pandemic, and travel abroad for egg donation.

The womb of a woman does not age as fast as her ovaries. All is needed is a healthy womb to receive the donated eggs, and there have been several reports of women in their fifties and sixties giving birth to healthy babies with egg donation.

Unlike conventional IVF with her own eggs, a woman can really afford to wait for egg donation.

After much intensive research, I think that the most efficient and economical means of egg donation is to directly contact an egg donor agency in either KL or Penang, and let them arrange the egg donation procedure in their affiliated IVF clinic in either KL or Penang.

Greater cost will be incurred if you choose to undergo egg donation in Johor.

Please see this previous thread:

Do however be careful not to be pushed to undertake highly expensive genetic testing of embryos in Malaysia - PGS / PGT-A :
 
Last edited:
MOUNT E HAS STOPPED THE PROGRAM- TO WORK ON PROTOCOLS.. IT MIGHT TAKE MANY MONTHS OR MAYBE THE PROGRAM MAY NOT BE BROUGHT BACK. THIS IS WHAT WAS TOLD TO ME WHEN I CALLED MOUNT E FERTILITY CENTRE.

VIRITUS FERTILITY - IS STILL IN NEGOTIATION WITH OVERSEAS EGG BANK.... THIS WAS WHAT WAS TOLD TO ME OVER PHONE CALL AS WELL...

SO BASICALLY -- THE EGG DONOR PROGRAM IS ALL ON HOLD BY ALL THE FACILITATORS

SIGH .. NO HOPE
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 have either imported frozen donor eggs for their IVF patients from Egg Bank Asia, or are in negotiations to do so. These are as follows: (i) Alpha IVF Singapore, (ii) Centre for Human Reproduction at NUH, and (iii) Mt. Elizabeth Fertility Centre.

Website:

Phone number: +60-12-579-2006

WeChat ID: EggBankAsia

Email: [email protected]

However, before importing donor eggs into Singapore, patients should note the following:

(1) Transportation of frozen donor eggs into Singapore is very expensive.
Due to COVID-19 pandemic situation, the only method of import is by air-travel, land transport through the Causeway is prohibited. Current quoted cost of import through courier service: USD$1,800. The current cost of frozen donor eggs are as follows:

Known Egg Donor - USD$1,300 per frozen egg (Minimum order of 8 frozen eggs)

Anonymous Egg Donor - USD$1,000 per frozen egg (Minimum order of 8 frozen eggs)

(2) It is much cheaper to do the egg donation process in Penang (Malaysia), rather than import frozen donor eggs into an IVF clinic in Singapore.
Egg Bank Asia is closely affiliated with Island Fertility Centre based in Georgetown Penang. They offer the following packages:

Entire IVF package with 8 frozen donor eggs, including medical fees - USD$ 11,500

Entire IVF package with fresh egg donation, including medical fees - USD$ 16,500

(More expensive because more than 8 eggs usually obtained from young healthy donor, typically 15 to 20 eggs per cycle)

(3) An older women can afford to wait for egg donation, unlike IVF with her own eggs. The womb (uterus) does not age as fast as her ovaries. Why not wait out the pandemic, to enjoy cheaper costs of IVF treatment at Island Fertility Centre in Penang (Malaysia), which is closely affiliated with Egg Bank Asia?

(4) For best results, it is better to do Egg Donor IVF at Island Fertility Centre in Penang (which is closely-affiliated with Egg Bank Asia), rather than importing frozen donor eggs into Singapore. 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. This is because 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 (see attached bar chart below).

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

 

Attachments

  • donor-egg-ivf-success-rate-comparison-768x512.png
    donor-egg-ivf-success-rate-comparison-768x512.png
    182.4 KB · Views: 119
Egg Bank Asia says no need for embryo genetic testing (PGS or PGT-A), unless Husband has sperm problem:

All donors have been rigorously screened (blood samples) for genetic diseases:

"Our egg donors are Chinese with an average age of 23 to 28, the optimal age for achieving pregnancy and together we have over 200 donors. All of our donors are pre-screened using advanced genetic carrier screening, the most advanced in Asia as we follow the recommendations of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American College of Medical geneticists and Genomics. Our screening is designed to detect genetic mutations associated with a large number of hereditary disorders with greater than 99.9% accuracy and is performed at our partner lab in the USA."
 
Hi all, thought I provide some progress to help those who are on the same journey on looking for egg donors.

Mount Elizabeth works with Ovogene Egg Bank. For Asian eggs, ovogene charges eur 1800 per oocyctes, in sets. Details below. .
Set of 6 oocytes – 9500 euro
Set of 8 oocytes – 12600 euro
Set of 12 oocytes – 19000 euro
Delivery to sin is Eur 3100

Alpha IVF centre at Royal medical novena #12-12 works with Egg Bank Asia. EBA charges usd 1300 for each Asian oocytes. Delivery to sin is usd 1800. There is a guaranteed program available if sperm's quality meets WHO guidelines. This gives assurances that their oocytes are good. Eg if less than 4 embroys are created and no pregnancy happens, they will replace with another 4 oocytes, delivery cost is subsidised in those cases.

For both options above, you have to first see the doctors to check if you are suitable for the donor program and to go thru counseling by counsellor and embryologist.

Both takes about 4-6 weeks to send the oocytes to Singapore. Been advised to take at least 10 oocytes to ensure the probability of 1 live birth (quote dr Kelly from mt E)

Above costs are just the oocytes cost. You will still need to add on the hospital and doctor fees accordingly. That usually adds up to est sgd 4-8k.

I've seen both options but decided to go with Alpha and EBA because I preferred one of the donor offered by EBA. (Also because they are cheaper). Hoping that all turns out well for me and hubby! We have been TTC since 2018, went thru 4 IVFs, 2 IUI, 1 miscarriage, countless chemical pregnancy. Hopefully 2021 will reward us with blessings!

If you need any more info, feel free to reach out to me. Good luck to everyone reading this!
 
Special thanks to Angelica for sharing the info on EBA. It was from your post that we learnt about them! :)
Dear Botbot, good luck to you and your husband. There is actually one more new development, which I like to share with all patients requiring egg donation.

To circumvent COVID travel restrictions, Singapore now allows 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 eggs typically produce better quality embryos and higher IVF success rates than frozen eggs

(ii) As you all know, 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.


Hence, it may be advantageous to freeze and transport the husband's sperm overseas for fertilization of fresh donor eggs, and transport the embryos obtained, rather than unfertilized eggs into Singapore. Indeed, one patient in Singapore has already sought and obtained approval for such a collaborative procedure to be done between a Singaporean IVF clinic and a fertility clinic based in the USA (Santa Monica Fertility Center).

Therefore contact your local IVF clinic, ask them to confirm with the MOH (Ministry of Health) whether a similar arrangement can be done with Egg Bank Asia or Island Fertility Centre in Penang.

Of course, no genetic testing (PGS/PGT-A) can be done on the embryos, if these are to be imported into Singapore.

In any case, genetic testing (PGS/PGT-A) is completely unnecessary, because Egg Bank Asia has already carried out rigorous genetic testing of the Egg Donor's blood samples:


All donors have been rigorously screened (blood samples) for genetic diseases:

"Our egg donors are Chinese with an average age of 23 to 28, the optimal age for achieving pregnancy and together we have over 200 donors. All of our donors are pre-screened using advanced genetic carrier screening, the most advanced in Asia as we follow the recommendations of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American College of Medical geneticists and Genomics. Our screening is designed to detect genetic mutations associated with a large number of hereditary disorders with greater than 99.9% accuracy and is performed at our partner lab in the USA."



Expert opinion by American fertility specialists that highly-expensive PGS (PGT-A) is not necessary for egg donation:




Hence
 
Last edited:
Hi all, thought I provide some progress to help those who are on the same journey on looking for egg donors.

Mount Elizabeth works with Ovogene Egg Bank. For Asian eggs, ovogene charges eur 1800 per oocyctes, in sets. Details below. .
Set of 6 oocytes – 9500 euro
Set of 8 oocytes – 12600 euro
Set of 12 oocytes – 19000 euro
Delivery to sin is Eur 3100

Alpha IVF centre at Royal medical novena #12-12 works with Egg Bank Asia. EBA charges usd 1300 for each Asian oocytes. Delivery to sin is usd 1800. There is a guaranteed program available if sperm's quality meets WHO guidelines. This gives assurances that their oocytes are good. Eg if less than 4 embroys are created and no pregnancy happens, they will replace with another 4 oocytes, delivery cost is subsidised in those cases.

For both options above, you have to first see the doctors to check if you are suitable for the donor program and to go thru counseling by counsellor and embryologist.

Both takes about 4-6 weeks to send the oocytes to Singapore. Been advised to take at least 10 oocytes to ensure the probability of 1 live birth (quote dr Kelly from mt E)

Above costs are just the oocytes cost. You will still need to add on the hospital and doctor fees accordingly. That usually adds up to est sgd 4-8k.

I've seen both options but decided to go with Alpha and EBA because I preferred one of the donor offered by EBA. (Also because they are cheaper). Hoping that all turns out well for me and hubby! We have been TTC since 2018, went thru 4 IVFs, 2 IUI, 1 miscarriage, countless chemical pregnancy. Hopefully 2021 will reward us with blessings!

If you need any more info, feel free to reach out to me. Good luck to everyone reading this!
Hi , we are looking for Chinese donor eggs . Can share more details the Alpha IVF got assist to look for us the Chinese donor eggs ? How much all the cost ? How is the process being done ? Import the fresh donor eggs into Singapore ?
 
Hi
Hi all, to update, our donor eggs from Bank Asia has arrived in Singapore. Exactly 4 weeks from signing the contract and paying the deposit to Bank Asia. Excited to be starting on this journey. We are planning to do the transfer next month with Alpha!
Hi Botbot! Sorry I failed my IVF cycle my heart is so upset , I cried failed terribly! I need donor egg urgently inorder to help me fulfil my dreams as a mother .Sorry you do the IVF is it at Alpha? Is it a frozen or fresh egg donor ? Sorry may I know how much is the cost ? Tks!
 
Hi Aries,

I'm currently receiving donor eggs with Alpha. I totally understand your feelings. I've failed several times as well, being 42 years of age, chances of being successful with my own eggs is very slim. We bought donor eggs from Bank Asia and have them sent to Singapore Alpha, Dr Tan. I don't need to do IVF as this was done on the donor. We just have to fertilize the oocytes (with my husband's army) and hope for the best! The donor we chose is 21 years of age when her oocytes were retrieved. They are frozen and shipped from Malaysia Penang. (Donor is a Malaysian Chinese). The detailed cost are in my earlier posts. We bought 10 oocytes for usd 1300 each, total transport to sin is usd1800. Other fees include doctor fees, consultation and counseling fees by Alpha. I'm still on the journey and I expect these costs to be around $6k. Costly yes, but hoping for at least 2-3 embryos so we can quickly set up a family. From the beginning to select a donor, to the embryo transfer takes around 3-4 months. Dr Tan at Alpha is really busy so best to book him early. I searched for months and found Bank Asia the most affordable egg bank with Asian oocytes. Ovagene is just slow and expensive. If you are young, using your own oocytes will still be the best option.... Oh we are also on tcm and acupuncture. Being really kiasu here. :)
Wishing you all the best in your journey and hoping that your dream will come true for you soon!
 
Hi all, some progress update here.

Day 1: 8 of the 10 oocytes have fertilised normally.
Day 3: 2 became fairly good embryos, 2 fair embryos and the rest - fairly poor. (Grading Range = Very good, Good, Fair, Fairly poor, Poor)

Embryologist kindly explained that those that are fairly poor only have a 50% chance of making it normally to day 5. Keeping our fingers crossed! Trying to stay really positive here. Afraid that we might end up with no implantation at all. 平常心, 平常心!

We de-linked the oocytes fertilisation process and implantation. Meaning to say, my body is currently not on any medication to get ready for implantation. We learnt this tip from Dr Kelly at Mt E. Lesser stress this way. At this moment, we are focusing on the embryos and will be freezing all embryos until my body is ready. We heard stories of couples who did not delink and ended up with taking 2 weeks of medication only to find out that there is nothing to transfer on day 5. Two schools of thoughts on this really, some believe that fresh transfer is the better than frozen, but studies have shown that for donor cycle, (stimm not done on mum), there is no difference in success rate of fresh and frozen. While at a dilemma stage, Alpha assured that their thawing technology is real good and with the aim to reduce stress for me, hubby was ok with delinking the process.

Another reason for us to delink was to ensure that my husband's army fulfills the WHO 5th guideline to be eligible for the guarantee programme offered by Bank Asia. We were thinking should he fairs below, we have the opportunity to resubmit without worrying about how my body has progressed with all the meds. End up, he passed with flying colours. (Yipee!) Tip to those submitting fresh armies (home execution) at Alpha, do remember to make it clear to the receptionist that you are here to submit fresh armies. In our other experiences at other fertility centres, there is always a submission counter where the embryologist will be already waiting for you. At Alpha, there isn't such a counter. The receptionist at the counter did not know that we are here to submit freshies and asked us to wait. (When explained that we are here to submit, she just said pls wait there are other customers before you. -_-") Thankfully we caught the attention of the embryologist and submitted within 1 hr from execution.

Wishing everyone out there on the TTC journey - all the best and good luck! Stay positive! Hope is out there! ;)
 
Last edited:
Hi Botbot! Sorry may I know what is de-linked the oocytes fertilisation means ? What does de-linked means I don’t understand ? Sorry can I have your contact no’s? I feel scared snd lost, worried nobody to ask how is the process like in Alpha for us which desperately need egg donor ! Thanks !
 
IMG_20210530_231145.jpg


Hi Aries,
Drew up a linked programme here for you to view. As you can see, (A) mother starts to take medication from day 1 of menstrual cycle, all the way until lining is thick enough for transfer. In this example, we assume day 14. Meaning the oocytes need to be thawed and fertilised at day 8 (B), allowing it a few days to grow into blastocyst. (Alpha's process is 5 days) Timing is crucial for a linked cycle and we heard of a couple who took meds but as none of the oocytes developed normally, there was nothing to transfer. (All the meds taken were in vain... Sayang right?) We chose to delinked, which means to fertilize first and freeze everything up. Then I start the cycle with meds. We are also not sure if this is the right and best choice. Fingers crossed. But it was definitely the most comfortable choice for us.

Feel free to reach out to me via private message on motherhood should you have further queries or just need a listening ear. Stay positive! Your body needs positive energy. :)
 
View attachment 729345

Hi Aries,
Drew up a linked programme here for you to view. As you can see, (A) mother starts to take medication from day 1 of menstrual cycle, all the way until lining is thick enough for transfer. In this example, we assume day 14. Meaning the oocytes need to be thawed and fertilised at day 8 (B), allowing it a few days to grow into blastocyst. (Alpha's process is 5 days) Timing is crucial for a linked cycle and we heard of a couple who took meds but as none of the oocytes developed normally, there was nothing to transfer. (All the meds taken were in vain... Sayang right?) We chose to delinked, which means to fertilize first and freeze everything up. Then I start the cycle with meds. We are also not sure if this is the right and best choice. Fingers crossed. But it was definitely the most comfortable choice for us.

Feel free to reach out to me via private message on motherhood should you have further queries or just need a listening ear. Stay positive! Your body needs positive energy. :)
Hi Botbot! So when you will doing the implantation for the embroyo ? You feel we do import frozen egg got high chances success doing IVF to form embroyo and blastocyst ? Angelica said export husband sperm then import embroyo more high chances than import frozen egg? What you think Bec we got no time to waste it .
 
Hi Aries,
As I've endometriosis, I took the diphereline jab on cycle day 24, and waiting to see doctor again next week. Believe I'll be starting on pills to thicken the lining next week. I guess my transfer date could be end of June. So far we managed to culture 4 embryos to blastocyst. Their gradings are 4BB ( Day 5) 3AB, 4AC and 4CB (Day 6). This is far better that using my own oocytes.

I'm not so sure about the process you mentioned, so apologies, unable to comment.
 
Hi Botbot! So must you frequent visit to Alpha for taking medicine to thicken lining? Must you always go Alpha for scanning to prepare for implantation ?Will Alpha provide HL 19 days to you when you do implantation ? All the best to you!
 
Hi Aries,

I was given 3 weeks worth of profound progynova as scheduled to see him once during this period. I won't call it frequent as only one visit is needed to check on the lining.

I'm not sure about the HL as I've yet to do the transfer but I reckon that will be possible. Maybe just 14 days as 2ww usually is 14 days.
 
To update, we transferred a 4BB hatching embryo 10 days ago. We were allocated a nice room with a great view when we checked in. After some basic check in procedure like taking blood pressure, we waited to be called into the surgery room. I think they took this time to thaw the embryo. Happy to hear that upon thawing, our embryo started hatching. (A nurse told me if no natural hatching takes place, they will conduct assisted hatching process)

Hubby was not allowed to come along for the procedure. Would have liked it more if he was allowed. When everything was ready, I was guided to the surgery room. Had to go thru a air shower to make sure all dust/ dirt was removed from my body. Nurse gave me a progesterone injection and I was brought to the lab to verify my embryo. (Side track, I saw the time lapse machine and asked the embryologist if that technology is really useful. He said more can be observed thru that. For those doing icsi at Alpha, you can top up $1000 to have your embryos kept in the time lapse machine. There are studies to show that it is a better environment due to less manual movement of embryos)

Dr Tan came over when everything was ready and the transfer was over in 15 mins. I was allowed to rest on the surgical bed for 20 mins. We were also allowed to rest in the private room until we felt comfortable to leave. (I laid down again just to make sure the embryo was getting enough time to settle down)

Bill that day was 2850 for the embryo transfer fee and 1000 for doctor's Tan fee. I was given 15 days of hospitalization mc. And scheduled to return for blood work next week. Dr Tan is rather kiasu and issued me more meds. During the 2ww, I was prescribed twice daily duphaston, thrice daily progynova, twice daily cyclogest insert. Plus the progesterone Jab, my body is high on progesterone now. This is much higher than what I was previously prescribed at NUH and Thomson.

It's been 10 days now and I'm happy to share that I see a faint positive line on my home pregnancy test kit. Hoping it sticks around for 9 months! (We miscarried 3 years ago at week 8 so we are really taking it step by step here.) Hoping for the best.

Hope my review on Alpha's donor programme has been useful to you and wishing you best of luck!
 
To update, we transferred a 4BB hatching embryo 10 days ago. We were allocated a nice room with a great view when we checked in. After some basic check in procedure like taking blood pressure, we waited to be called into the surgery room. I think they took this time to thaw the embryo. Happy to hear that upon thawing, our embryo started hatching. (A nurse told me if no natural hatching takes place, they will conduct assisted hatching process)

Hubby was not allowed to come along for the procedure. Would have liked it more if he was allowed. When everything was ready, I was guided to the surgery room. Had to go thru a air shower to make sure all dust/ dirt was removed from my body. Nurse gave me a progesterone injection and I was brought to the lab to verify my embryo. (Side track, I saw the time lapse machine and asked the embryologist if that technology is really useful. He said more can be observed thru that. For those doing icsi at Alpha, you can top up $1000 to have your embryos kept in the time lapse machine. There are studies to show that it is a better environment due to less manual movement of embryos)

Dr Tan came over when everything was ready and the transfer was over in 15 mins. I was allowed to rest on the surgical bed for 20 mins. We were also allowed to rest in the private room until we felt comfortable to leave. (I laid down again just to make sure the embryo was getting enough time to settle down)

Bill that day was 2850 for the embryo transfer fee and 1000 for doctor's Tan fee. I was given 15 days of hospitalization mc. And scheduled to return for blood work next week. Dr Tan is rather kiasu and issued me more meds. During the 2ww, I was prescribed twice daily duphaston, thrice daily progynova, twice daily cyclogest insert. Plus the progesterone Jab, my body is high on progesterone now. This is much higher than what I was previously prescribed at NUH and Thomson.

It's been 10 days now and I'm happy to share that I see a faint positive line on my home pregnancy test kit. Hoping it sticks around for 9 months! (We miscarried 3 years ago at week 8 so we are really taking it step by step here.) Hoping for the best.

Hope my review on Alpha's donor programme has been useful to you and wishing you best of luck!

Glad to hear your success! By the way, you said that you transferred only one blastocyst stage embryo? You originally started off with 10 frozen eggs? Wondering whether you had any embryos being kept frozen? Just wanted to know what is the typical yield of embryos with 10 frozen eggs?
 
Hi Angelica

Yes I transferred only one blast and 3 other blasts are frozen. Total yield out of 10 oocytes = 4 blast. 2 fairly good, 2 fair. The rest, discarded.
 
Hi Angelica

Yes I transferred only one blast and 3 other blasts are frozen. Total yield out of 10 oocytes = 4 blast. 2 fairly good, 2 fair. The rest, discarded.
Hi Botbot! I have checked with Alpha , they had cased import frozens egg due to MOH restrictions ! Feel so sad, loss . So what is the next alternative to get donor egg which we need urgently !
 
Hi Botbot! I have checked with Alpha , they had cased import frozens egg due to MOH restrictions ! Feel so sad, loss . So what is the next alternative to get donor egg which we need urgently !
You mean frozen donor eggs no longer allowed to be imported due to new regulations? Other IVF clinics in Singapore also not allowed to import frozen donor eggs?
 
Hi Aries, perhaps you might like to also check directly with Bank Asia? Are they aware of Alpha ceasing the import? Not aware of any new MOH regulations but I could be misinformed.
 
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;
 
Hi, my husband and I are an Indian couple based in Singapore.

We found each other later in life. We have been trying to have a child of our own past few years and it’s been a uphill battle. Our last ivf cycle too ended in disappointment. We have bee advised to consider egg donor.

We are in search of a kindhearted woman to bless us with donor eggs to help us bring an angel to this world. We are well educated and are able to provide adequate support to the willing donor to help us through this process.

Our only hope now is through the generosity and kindness of an egg donor. If you are 20-36 years of age, Indian ethnicity (or a close match in appearance), ideally based in Singapore, healthy, non smoker are interested in helping our dreams of having a family come true then please pm me or contact me at my number.

We are a serious and responsible couple and would like to start the process soonest possible.

Hi, my husband and I are an Indian couple based in Singapore.

We found each other later in life. We have been trying to have a child of our own past few years and it’s been a uphill battle. Our last ivf cycle too ended in disappointment. We have bee advised to consider egg donor.

We are in search of a kindhearted woman to bless us with donor eggs to help us bring an angel to this world. We are well educated and are able to provide adequate support to the willing donor to help us through this process.

Our only hope now is through the generosity and kindness of an egg donor. If you are 20-36 years of age, Indian ethnicity (or a close match in appearance), ideally based in Singapore, healthy, non smoker are interested in helping our dreams of having a family come true then please pm me or contact me at my number.

We are a serious and responsible couple and would like to start the process soonest possible.
Hi....this is mbanu here...I am wanting to donate my eggs....im a indian and also the age group that you hv requested....I would like to know if u hv found ur donor....thank you....
 

Attachments

  • Egg donar.jpg
    Egg donar.jpg
    56.2 KB · Views: 75

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 recent years, neighboring 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 different races 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.

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.
 
Last edited:

Singapore needs to update regulation of frozen egg donation after permitting social egg freezing

Abstract
With social egg freezing being permitted in Singapore, there is expected to be an accumulated surplus of unused frozen eggs (vitrified oocytes) available for donation in coming years. A comprehensive update of current healthcare regulations pertaining to frozen egg donation is needed to resolve various pertinent ethical issues. In particular, the issue of egg donor anonymity should be addressed, together with the lack of sharing of medical and family information about the donor to prospective recipient patients and donor-conceived offspring. Rigorous and comprehensive genetic testing of prospective egg donors must be mandated to protect the welfare of recipient patients. Older women above 35 years of age should be required to have at least one child, before being allowed to donate their unused frozen eggs, to prevent any future regret and psychological problems of remaining childless, while being unsure of whether they have an unknown genetic offspring out there. New regulations drafted to address these ethical issues must also prevent potential conflicts of interests. For example, fertility doctors soliciting and encouraging former patients to donate their unused frozen eggs face an obvious conflict of interest, because additional medical fees will be earned by performing the egg donation procedure on other patients. A centralized donor registry should be established by the Singapore government to oversee the distribution and allocation of donated unused frozen eggs to infertile IVF patients. Such a registry could also facilitate sharing of vital health information about the donor to recipient patients and donor-conceived offspring.
 

Attachments

  • Chin2022_Article_SingaporeNeedsToUpdateRegulati.pdf
    514.2 KB · Views: 56
I am exploring egg donation at Sunfert KL. 44 years old this year with 2 failed ivf, not enough oocytes. Anyone has info on Sunfert can share? Costs? Possible to do embryo transfer directly in KL?
 
I am exploring egg donation at Sunfert KL. 44 years old this year with 2 failed ivf, not enough oocytes. Anyone has info on Sunfert can share? Costs? Possible to do embryo transfer directly in KL?

Please kindly refer to the following website:
Egg Donation In Malaysia: Pitfalls That IVF Patients Should Avoid – Dr Alexis Heng Boon Chin - CodeBlue (galencentre.org)

Please be extra careful with PGT-A testing. Singaporean patients undergoing egg donation should beware of Malaysian IVF clinics trying to hard-sell highly expensive embryo genetic testing (PGS / PGT-A) to them. Some of these hard-selling tactics include:

(i) Playing on their fears of unknown genetic defects being carried by the egg donor. Singaporean patient should note that there are much cheaper alternative methods of genetic screening such as testing of the egg donor's blood sample before starting IVF, or NIPT (Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing), which can be done after getting pregnant. A blood sample contains thousands of white blood cells, from which an abundant amount of DNA genetic material can be extracted. By contrast, only a few cells and tiny amount of DNA are extracted from the embryo during PGS (biopsy procedure). This makes it technically simpler and much cheaper to do genetic testing of the Egg Donor's blood sample, as compared to genetic screening of embryos with PGS / PGT-A.

(ii) Playing on their fears of Down syndrome. In reality, the chances of Down Syndrome with young donor eggs is extremely low. As seen in the attached tables and charts, the chances of Down Syndrome for a 20 year-old donor is 0.05% (1 in 2,000), while that for a 25 year-old donor is 0.083% (1 in 1,200). If patients are really worried about the possibility of Down syndrome, they can always do NIPT (Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing) after getting pregnant, which is very much cheaper than PGS (PGT-A).

(iii) Claiming that PGS (PGT-A) can improve the IVF success rates with donor eggs. This maybe true only for older women undergoing IVF with their own eggs, because of spontaneous genetic abnormalities that occur more frequently in the eggs of older women. Egg donors are typically very young, aged between 20 to 25 years of age, with very healthy eggs. Hence, PGS (PGT-A) will not further improve the already high IVF success rates of older women using donor eggs.

(iv) Playing on their biased preference for either a son or daughter. It is true that PGS (PGT-A) is the most effective method of sex-selection. But the question is whether it is moral and ethical for Malaysian IVF clinics to hard-sell such an expensive technique to Singaporean patients?

(v) Downplaying the risks of damaging the embryo during genetic testing with PGS (PGT-A). This is a highly delicate procedure that involves drilling a hole through the embryo shell (Zona Pellucidae), and extracting a few cells for genetic testing. No matter how well-trained is the lab staff (embryologist) doing the procedure, there is still a risk of human error. The more busy the IVF lab is, the greater the risk of human error, as lab staff are under pressure to complete procedures as fast as possible.

Interesting videos which inform patients that PGS (Preimplantation Genetic Screening), also known as PGT-A (Preimplantation Genetic Testing - Aneuploidy) is absolutely unnecessary for egg donation cycles:


 


I am exploring egg donation at Sunfert KL. 44 years old this year with 2 failed ivf, not enough oocytes. Anyone has info on Sunfert can share? Costs? Possible to do embryo transfer directly in KL?

Please do not use genetic testing (PGT-A ) for egg donation. Please kindly read the following articles:



Widespread Embryo Genetic Testing (PGT-A) In Malaysia May Not Benefit IVF Success Rates – Dr Alexis Heng Boon Chin — Ova (galencentre.org)
 

Back
Top