Young Hong Kong couples ‘very wrong’ to think they can store woman’s eggs just to delay parenthood, health chief says
- Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau also says there is a misconception in society that egg storage and other assisted reproductive procedures are easy to do
- Top government adviser Regina Ip says health minister’s words are a medical argument lacking ‘empathy and compassion’ for women
Young couples are “very wrong” to believe they can easily delay parenthood by freezing the woman’s eggs for a future pregnancy, the health chief has warned, after Hong Kong’s leader decided against including a proposal to extend the permitted storage period in his policy address.
Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau’s remarks at a press briefing on Thursday prompted top government adviser Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee to describe the minister’s stance as lacking “empathy and compassion”.
“It is a very wrong concept for people to think it will be completely fine for them to have children in the future if they store eggs now,” Lo told reporters at a briefing on measures unveiled by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu to tackle a record low birth rate.
“From the perspective of medical health, giving birth before the age of 30 and giving birth after the age of 40 are completely different things. One is the chance of pregnancy [when older], and the other is the risk for pregnant women and babies.”
He urged young people to have children early if having a family was part of their life plan.
The minister said another misconception concerned the procedures required for storing eggs and undergoing assisted reproductive treatments, noting both posed health risks and required long-term medical treatment and operations.