There comes a time when married couples want to transition into becoming a family and start trying to have children. However, this may mark the start of a long and arduous journey for some couples. As a matter of fact, fertility problems are not as uncommon as you may think. An estimated 15 percent of couples in Singapore are reportedly unable to conceive within 12 months of trying. Thus, it is recommended to go to your local fertility clinic regularly for check-ups and assessment.
When should you seek professional help in a fertility clinic?
The topic of fertility is not commonly discussed and often considered quite taboo, basically existing only in hushed and private conversations. This can thus lead to a plethora of misconceptions and falsehoods which can, unfortunately, result in couples seeking help after it is already too late.
Generally, you should make regular visits to your fertility clinic to keep updated about your fertility health. Without a doubt, getting checkups regularly will enable prompt diagnosis of any conditions that could potentially affect fertility.
If you have been trying to conceive for more than a year (or six months if you are over 35 years old), it is recommended that you visit your local fertility clinic for an assessment in order to help determine the cause/s. Additionally, you can also learn about possible treatment options and get started on them.
How does a fertility clinic work?
A fertility clinic aims to assist those that have been facing issues in conceiving by natural means due to medical reasons. During your first visit, the doctor or nurse will discuss yours and your partner’s (if applicable) medical history.
Following that, they will go through the necessary fertility tests that the both of you will need to take. This is in the efforts of helping you find out the reasons behind why you are having difficulties conceiving.
Some general services that fertility clinics offer are the following:
- In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF): Firstly, a couple’s egg and sperm are fused together in a laboratory in IVF. After that, the highest-quality developed embryos are selected and transferred into the mother’s uterus.
- Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI): This procedure is similar to IVF except for how fertilisation is induced. In contrast to IVF, ICSI involves injecting a single live sperm directly into the center of a human egg in a lab.
- Superovulation & Intrauterine Insemination (SO-IUI): This procedure chiefly involves giving fertility drugs to the female patient. It will thereafter stimulate production and ovulation. After that, the prepared sperm is placed directly into the uterus via intrauterine insemination.
- Embryo & Sperm Cryopreservation: This is the process of freezing and storing embryos and sperm, thus providing flexibility in human infertility therapy.
- Donor Sperm/Egg/Embryo Programmes: In this method, a couple uses donated sperm, egg, or embryo in place of their own.
How to choose the best fertility clinic?
- Services Offered - You may not only want a clinic for regular check-ups, but also undergo several assessments or treatments for you and your partner. With this in mind, choose a clinic that offers all the services you require.
- Costs - Check up on which hospitals support the ART/IUI co-funding scheme as it will surely affect the price of your treatment.
- Priorities - All together, public hospitals come with the advantage of the government co-funding scheme. However, depending on whether or not you meet the criteria, private hospitals or clinics chiefly offer a shorter waiting time.
- Location - Choosing a clinic that is close to you or in a good location with many surrounding amenities is undeniably more convenient than a clinic that is out of the way.
The benefits of visiting a fertility clinic in Singapore
Singapore is markedly a highly regarded and trusted destination for couples with fertility problems. This is due to numerous successful programmes and high accessibility to fertility services, which can be found in both public and private hospitals and clinics.
In addition, there are even government schemes, such as the Assisted Conception Procedures (APCs) that enable Singaporean couples to get up to 75% of the costs of Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) treatments and other options co-funded.
Furthermore, some of these schemes are even applicable for foreigners looking to undergo fertility treatments here in Singapore. To illustrate, here is a chart of ACPs Co-Funding per Treatment Cycle for easy reference:
| |
Singapore Citizen Couple
|
SC-PR Couple
|
SC-Foreigner Couple
|
|
Fresh ART cycles
|
75%; up to $7,700
|
55%; up to $5,700
|
35%; up to $3,600
|
|
Frozen ART cycles
|
75%; up to $2,200
|
55%; up to $1,600
|
35%; up to $1,000
|
|
IUI
|
75%; up to $1,000
|
55%; up to $700
|
35%; up to $500
|
In similar fashion to general healthcare subsidies, the ART/IUI co-funding scheme only applies to ART/IUI treatment done at public hospitals. With this in mind, visit the Ministry of Health website for more information on terms and conditions.
5 Best Fertility Clinics in Singapore
|
Category
|
Clinic
|
|
Most Experience in the Industry
|
The Clinic for Human Reproduction (CHR) (Public)
|
|
Widest Range of Services Offered
|
KK IVF Centre (Public)
|
|
Best for Fertility and Treating Gynaecological Cancers
|
Alpha IVF Centre & Alpha Women’s Specialists (Private)
|
|
Best Fertility Clinic for Complicated Conditions
|
Mount Elizabeth Fertility Centre (Private)
|
|
Best for Fertility Treatments
|
Sincere Healthcare Group (SHG) (Private)
|
[product-comparison-table title="5 Best Fertility Clinics in Singapore"]
Most Experience in the Industry
The Clinic for Human Reproduction is under the National University of Singapore. It is, without a doubt, highly regarded as one of the very first IVF clinics in Singapore. As a matter of fact, they perform about 600 IVF cycles per year as a leading research institution in the field of gynecology.
They also offer quite a wide range of comprehensive services for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility that are all performed on-site in their state-of-the-art facilities. Moreover, they employ meticulous pre-screening and counselling for patients to prepare them for the IVF procedure.
Aside from IUI, IVF, and ICSI, this clinic also offers the following services:
- Male Infertility Treatment
- Laboratory Procedures
- PGD: Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis.
- Embryo Grading.
- Fertility Preservation.
Address: NUH Kent Ridge Wing, Zone D, Level 4
Contact No.: +65 6774 5336
Fertility Clinic with Wide Range of Services Offered
KKIVF Centre is undeniably equipped with a team of well-trained experts. They incorporate ARTs, endocrinology therapy, and advanced endoscopic reproductive surgical techniques that; thus, provides a holistic approach to help increase their patient’s chances of having a healthy baby.
Not only is KKIVF highly regarded as one of the leading infertility centres in South-East Asia, but also offers an extremely wide range of services to its patients. They are also well-known for their expertise in advanced microsurgery and pelvic reconstructive endoscopy.
Additionally, they also prioritise the mental health of their patients and offer each of them individual and personalise attention to reduce the emotional turbulence commonly brought about by fertility treatment. Aside from IVF, SO-IUI, and ICSI, this clinic also offers the following services:
- Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART) Services.
- Fertility Enhancing Endoscopic Surgery and Corrective Surgery for Congenital Vaginal and Womb Anomalies, such as endoscopic assessment of infertility, transvaginal Hydrolaparoscopy, and more.
- Reproductive Andrology Services.
Address: 100 Bukit Timah Rd, Singapore 229899
Contact No.: +65 6225 5554
Best for Fertility and Treating Gynaecological Cancers
Alpha IVF Centre & Alpha Women’s Specialists is unquestionably a one-stop fertility center that provides patients with a wide range of fertility treatments. Their IVF laboratory is equipped with advanced equipment and along with assisted reproductive technologies in order to optimise success rates.
They significantly have a special focus on fertility using Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). Moreover, they also treat gynaecological cancers. Furthermore, they are also located in Central Singapore, a prime location that is in close proximity to many other amenities and services.
Aside from IUI, IVF, and ICSI, this clinic also offers the following services:
- Ovulation Induction.
- Time-Lapse Culture System.
- Blastocyst Transfer Program.
- Embryo Cryopreservation.
- Artificial Intelligence-Embryo Selection.
Address: 101 Irrawaddy Road, #12-07/14, Royal Square At Novena, Singapore 329565
Contact No.: +65 6860 8889
Best Fertility Clinic for Complicated Conditions
Mount Elizabeth Fertility Centre is well established, having offered its fertility services since 1988 to both local and international patients. Undoubtedly, they aim to treat all patients with their team of dedicated specialists, nurses, embryologists, medical technicians, and counselors.
Chiefly, they aim to give their patients personalised care that will maximise their comfort. Mount E is specifically well-known for treating complicated medical conditions in patients all across the region. Similar to Alpha IVF Centre, they are also located in the same prime location.
Aside from IUI, IVF, and ICSI, this clinic also offers the following services:
- Ovulation induction and monitoring.
- Elective single blastocyst transfer.
- Magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS) system.
- Pre-diagnostic sperm tests and surgical sperm retrieval for IVF programme.
Address: 3 Mount Elizabeth, Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Level 3, Singapore 228510
Contact No.: +65 6731 2693
Best for Fertility Treatments
Sincere Healthcare Group is a leading private service provider of men and women’s healthcare, to say nothing of winning the Women’s Health & Fertility Medical Centre of the Year Asia Pacific 2020. They specialise in fertility treatments such as IVF. Moreover, they offer a wide range of services from obstetrics, urology, sexology, andrology, vascular and intervention, and assisted reproductive technique.
Besides priding themselves on high quality treatment and outstanding personalised healthcare towards their patients, they also boast a high IVF success rate. Aside from IUI, IVF, and ICSI, this clinic also offers the following services:
- Assisted Reproduction Services such as oocyte recovery, Intracytoplasmic Morphologically-selected Sperm Injection (IMSI), and more.
- Andrology Services like Testicular Sperm Extraction (TESE), Sperm Cryo-preservation, and more.
- Fertility Screening Programmes.
Address: 8 Sinaran Drive, #06-08/19, Novena Specialist Center, Singapore 307470
Contact No.: +65 6507 0766
Fertility Clinic Comparison Table
In conclusion, here is a summary of some of the important factors with regards to each of the clinics we have recommended:
|
Clinic
|
Government Co-funding Applicable
|
Location
|
Price / cycle
|
|
The Clinic for Human Reproduction (CHR) (Public)
|
Yes
|
Kent Ridge
|
$8,000 - $12,000
|
|
KK IVF Centre (Public)
|
Yes
|
Bukit Timah Rd |
$10,000 - $15,000
|
|
Alpha IVF Centre & Alpha Women’s Specialists (Private)
|
No
|
Novena
|
$7,599 onwards
|
|
Mount Elizabeth Fertility Centre (Private)
|
No
|
Orchard
|
$9,400 – $10,500
|
|
Sincere Healthcare Group (SHG) (Private)
|
No
|
Novena
|
$20,000 - 25,000
|
Note: The prices are up to date as of October 22, 2021, however, services and prices may vary at a later date.
Trying to conceive can be mentally and emotionally exhausting. Know that you are not alone. Read: Trying To Conceive Journey: Don't Ask Women When They're Having Kids
