Review of Pre-Implantation Genetic Screening Pilot

Mr. Louis Ng Kok Kwang

MP for Nee Soon GRC

Question No. 3142

To ask the Minister for Health (a) when will the review of the pilot Pre-Implantation Genetic Screening programme be completed; and (b) how will the Ministry determine whether the pilot has been successful.

Written Answer

1                    MOH started a three-year pilot on Pre-Implantation Genetic Screening (PGS) in 2017, to test for chromosomal abnormalities in pre-implanted embryos created through in vitro fertilization (IVF).  Under this pilot, women who are 35 years and above, or any woman with two or more recurrent implantation failures, or two or more pregnancy losses were recruited.

2                    Thus far, 298 patients have been enrolled under the pilot study.  The pilot is scheduled to end in December 2019.  MOH will evaluate the clinical outcomes from the pilot in consultation with experts before deciding if PGS should be a routine clinical service.

3                    The pilot study outcomes include comparing the embryo implantation success rates, pregnancy rates and live birth rates between women on IVF programmes who had received PGS with those who had not received any PGS.   The review will take into consideration the available international evidence concerning PGS testing, the ethical challenges associated with PGS and the regulatory framework that needs to be established for governing PGS.