Can egg freezing help Singapore companies retain female talent?

[SINGAPORE] Singapore’s total fertility rate fell to a historic low of 0.87 in 2025. For the business community, this is more than a demographic statistic – it raises serious questions about the long-term sustainability of Singapore’s workforce and talent pipeline.

Women today make up nearly half of Singapore’s resident workforce and an increasing share of leadership positions. Yet many ambitious professionals still face a difficult trade-off between advancing their careers and starting a family within a limited biological window.

In my two decades as an embryologist, I have observed a recurring pattern among highly driven women professionals. Many reach major career milestones in their late 30s, only to realise that fertility declines sharply after the age of 35.

I once met a senior professional who had achieved nearly every milestone in her field. But when she finally sought fertility treatment at age 40, she faced repeated disappointment in the in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) clinic. Such stories are not rare. They represent a personal heartbreak, but also highlight a broader societal challenge.

A technological “safety net”

While biology imposes constraints, modern reproductive medicine offers a strategic option: egg vitrification, an ultra-rapid freezing technology.

Unlike earlier slow-freezing methods, vitrification prevents the formation of ice crystals that can damage eggs. As a result, survival rates after thawing are significantly higher, making egg freezing a far more reliable form of fertility preservation.

I was involved in some of Singapore’s early vitrification work in 2005. At the time, the technology was used for medical cases. Over the past two decades, however, the technique has matured into a clinically robust option.

Eggs frozen in a woman’s late 20s or early 30s preserve her reproductive potential at a healthier stage. In practical terms, this gives women greater flexibility to align career development with family planning.

A strategic workforce consideration

Singapore’s decision to allow elective egg freezing for women aged 21 to 37 from July 2023 marked a significant policy shift. It acknowledges changing social realities, including later marriages and longer career trajectories.

For companies competing in an increasingly tight labour market, fertility preservation may also become part of a forward-looking benefits framework. Several multinational firms have already introduced fertility benefits, recognising that reproductive choices can influence career continuity and employee retention.

Egg freezing is not a solution to declining birth rates. But it can function as what some clinicians call “regret medicine” – giving women a wider margin of time when balancing career ambitions and family aspirations.

As Singapore confronts record-low fertility and an ageing population, supporting reproductive choice may also support workforce resilience.

Fertility preservation should therefore be seen not only as a personal medical option, but as part of a broader conversation about sustaining talent in Singapore’s knowledge-driven economy.

The writer is chief embryologist at Sincere IVF Center in Singapore