Hong Kong plans to cancel the storage limit for sperm, eggs and embryos for personal use, regardless of the gender, age, or medical condition of the patient.
In general, gametes (including sperm and eggs) or embryos for personal use can be currently stored for at most 10 years.
For cancer patients or other patients who may be rendered infertile as a result of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, or other medical treatments, the maximum storage period for embryos is 10 years, and for gametes, it is 10 years — or until the patient reaches 55 years of age, whichever is first.
After conducting a comprehensive review of the storage limit, the Council on Human Reproductive Technology proposed a series of amendments to the Code of Practice on Reproductive Technology and Embryo Research. The public consultation period on the amendments began on Thursday and will run through April 13.
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The amendments were based on feedback from stakeholders, insights from practices in other jurisdictions, and considerations of medical, ethical, social and legal perspectives.
The council will also ensure that residents are fully aware of the associated medical risks before they decide to prolong the storage of gametes or embryos without medical reasons.
The council also will require licensed centers to provide patients with information on topics such as the risks involved in egg-retrieval procedures, the rapid decline in the fertility or pregnancy rates associated with aging in women, the risks involved in having a child at an advanced age, and the social effects of delaying childbearing.
Patients will be required to sign a consent form to acknowledge receipt of such information, the council added.
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The council said that after storing gametes or embryos for a certain period, licensed centers will be required to provide counseling tailored to the individual circumstances of their patients, and that the storage of their gametes or embryos may be extended only with the written consent of the patient.
It also will require the centers to provide additional statistical data for regulatory purposes once the amendments are implemented.
Legislator Nixie Lam expressed her support for the proposed cancellation of the storage limit, as it not only will grant women more reproductive autonomy but also assist women who intend to conceive and couples who require medical assistance to plan ahead.
Lam said this amendment won’t require an increase in the government financial burden, hailing it as a forward-looking initiative that demonstrates the government’s emphasis on creating a family-friendly society and a symbol of social progress.
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Freezing eggs in advance is akin to purchasing insurance for future reproductive planning, allowing women to retain the opportunity for healthy childbearing despite the influences of marriage, career, and health factors, Lam said.
She said that Hong Kong’s reproductive medical services are among the best in Asia and are also renowned internationally.
Lam said that this amendment not only will help local women receive medical treatment, but also has the potential to attract more overseas patients to seek treatment in Hong Kong, further unleashing the economic potential of the local reproductive medical industry.
Karen Xu, a female employee in her 20s working in the trade industry, said that this policy change will provide young women in Hong Kong with more choices regarding their careers and families, giving them more freedom for exploration in the matter of giving birth to the next generation.
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Xu hopes that in the future, supporting measures related to the new regulation will be improved to provide greater convenience for local women seeking reproductive medical services.
