Singaporean youths react to raised age limit for Elective Egg Freezing

The Ministry of Health (MOH) announced on Monday (May 15) that the age limit for Elective Egg Freezing (EEF) will be raised to 37 years old from Jul 1.

This comes after a recent review of local and international evidence showed that the success rates of egg freezing “remain relatively stable for women up to 37 years of age”, said MOH.

The previous limit had been set at 35 years old.

Youthopia spoke to six youths to hear their opinions on raising the age limit for EEF.

“It’s great that they increased the age limit. Now, women will have more opportunities to focus on their careers, without having to worry about our biological clocks ticking.

“With EEF,  we can focus on our careers and ensure that we are financially stable before having a child. It’s honestly a win-win situation for working mothers and the Government, given the nation’s declining fertility rates.” — Janani Muthukumar, 27, Compliance Ops Manager

“I think it’s a good move by the Government to raise the age limit for egg donors and Elective Egg Freezing so that it is more inclusive towards a wider range of women.

“I think this will alleviate the burden of women to adhere to societal norms of establishing a family at a certain age as they now have more family planning options that may be more in line with their goals and life aspirations”  — Cherie Cheah, 27, Technical Writer

“We are an ageing population and this is driven by low birth rates, as some couples do not intend to have children or have only one child. With increasing costs of living, everyone is concerned about the costs to raise a child, especially when some adults are barely scraping by.

“EEF can now enable future generations to enter into families that are financially stable. The move also grants flexibility when it comes to family planning as women may no longer have to be conflicted between prioritising their career or having a kid. Prior to this, there could have been an increased pressure on women to conceive — even when they may not have the finances to do so.

“Now, this can provide them with a longer runway, where viable eggs will allow potential mothers to bear a child in their later years.” — Dana Chin Kaiwen, 22, Student

“My fiancée and I desire to have children, but just not anytime soon. Work takes up a bulk of our time and we want to be financially prepared before we commit to a child. I also used to be concerned about whether we would have a hard time trying for a baby past 35, but now we can have an ease of mind knowing there is EEF to make that happen.

“Of course, the procedure doesn’t guarantee us a pregnancy but it still gives us a renewed hope of becoming parents in our mid to late thirties.” — Soh Wei Rong, 30, Regional Account Manager

“I commend the Government for being progressive and allowing women aged between 21 and 37 to freeze their eggs. But because I can’t use these eggs unless I am married, I am taking a gamble if I were to spend thousands of dollars on EEF, especially since I still haven’t found my Mr Right.

“I only want to have a child after getting married, but this may not be the same for other single women.“There may be instances where single women struggle to find a partner but still have the desire to be a mother. The Government shouldn’t be too fixated on the idea that only couples may use the eggs to have a child and have some leeway for single women who want children past their ‘prime’ years.” — Sabrina Noor, 31, Patient Service Associate

“I do have reservations regarding the need to be married. It seems like the main family structure is geared towards nuclear heterogenous families, rather than increasing birth rates overall. 

“I believe EEF has the potential to provide more options for married women who cannot conceive naturally to have ‘second chances’ at motherhood, but if the overall trend of women remaining unmarried increases, family planning choices for this particular growing demographic won’t be affected by the age limit increase – since these women are not targeted to increase birth rates. Ideally, women should not have to choose between career and family planning, and hopefully increasing the age limit helps mitigate the balancing act.” — Maisarah Abdul Latiff, 24, Assistant Manager