Hong Kong proposes removing its ten-year egg storage limit

The Hong Kong government has launched a consultation with stakeholders on proposals to remove its ten-year storage limit on gametes and embryos.

Hong Kong's Council on Human Reproductive Technology has proposed an amendment to the Code of Practice on Reproductive Technology and Embryo Research, which provides guidance for fertility treatment providers. Currently, gametes or embryos frozen for a person's own future use can be stored for up to ten years, or until the patient is 55 years old if they are infertile due to illness. The proposed amendment would remove these restrictions, subject to certain conditions.

'...the duration and age limits on storage of gametes (including both sperms and eggs) or embryos for own use should be handled as a medical issue instead of a legal issue,' the Council amendment said. 'Hence, the Council proposed to lift the legal restrictions on [the] storage period of gametes or embryos for own use, irrespective of the gender, age, medical or social conditions of the patients.'

The proposed changes would allow people to store gametes and embryos for their own use for five years initially. They would then be required to give repeat informed consent every two years thereafter and undergo additional, tailored counselling to provide them with up-to-date scientific information. This would include information on the risks of egg retrieval, age-related fertility decline, risks associated with advanced maternal age and the social impact of delayed childbearing.

The Council said the amendments aim to 'encourage childbearing at patients' best reproductive age and to deter unnecessary or prolonged storage without medical reasons'.

This proposed policy change stands against a background of low and declining birthrates in Hong Kong (see BioNews 1268), much as in the UK (see BioNews 1263). A recent survey in Hong Kong also reported that 70 percent of respondents did not want children. The Hong Kong government has attempted to combat declining birthrates through financial incentives. For each child born since October 2023, married couples receive a one-off HK$20,000 payment from the government, and tax deductions of up to HK$17,000 will be introduced for married couples accessing fertility treatment. Hong Kong Hospital Authority also increased the quota for IVF treatment at public hospitals by more than 60 percent, from 1100 to 1800 cycles/year.

The Council previously proposed amending the Code of Practice in 2023. Following consultation feedback on these proposals, the Council conducted a comprehensive review of the legal restrictions on gamete storage from medical, ethical, social and legal standpoints and the practices in other jurisdictions. They then developed the updated proposals.

The Council also proposed that 'more detailed data on [the] storage of gametes or embryos for own use such as marital status, age distribution (including [the] age of storage and usage) and type of identity document of patients would be collected through the annual statistics to be submitted by licensed centres for regulatory purposes.'

The consultation is scheduled to run until 13 April 2025.

The question of whether assisted conception can address challenges posed by falling birthrates will be explored in two free-to-attend online events, the first of which is taking place this coming Wednesday.

• The first event, Is Fertility Treatment a Solution to Population Decline?, will take place on Wednesday 26 March 2025. Find out more and register here.
• The second event, Fertility in Flux: What Can State-Funded IVF Do for Population Growth?, will take place on Wednesday 9 April 2025. Find out more and register here.