Commentary: Can Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Impact Singapore’s Low Fertility Rate?

Singapore has consistently posted below-population replacement rates for the past four decades, despite periodic ‘Dragon Year’ spikes, firmly locating it as one of the world’s least fecund societies. Like other governments that have tried to address the demographic problems resulting from low fertility rates, Singapore has introduced various measures to encourage procreation amongst its citizens. Since 2008, these have included subsidies for up to three cycles of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) provided by public hospitals using fresh gametes or embryos to married couples who meet the following criteria:
1. Either the husband or wife is a Singapore citizen at the start of the ART cycle;
2. The couple together has no more than one living child;
3. The woman is below 40 years of age at the start of the cycle;
4. The woman has been assessed by her doctor to have met the clinical requirements for ART;
5. No more than two embryos must be transferred during the cycle; and
6. The woman has not already received three co-funded cycles.