Singapore is helping couples conceive with a slew of measures to kick in on Jan. 1, 2020.

A range of subsidies was announced on Aug. 28, 2019 to support marriage and parenthood, and in response to Singaporeans getting married later in life and having children at an older age.

No more age limit

To help facilitate reproduction, Singapore will remove its age limit for women seeking assisted reproductive treatment (ART).

There are various kinds of ART procedures, with the most common one being in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).

The current age limit is 45 years old for women undergoing assisted reproduction technology procedures, which include IVF treatments.

The age limit will no longer apply from Jan. 1, 2020.

No more cap on IVF cycles

The cap on the number of IVF cycles a woman can undergo will also be removed.

It is currently set at 10 cycles for women aged 40 and below, and five for women above 40.

Co-funding of ART procedures

Currently, the government co-funds up to six ART cycles, and these treatments are only available for women aged 45 and below.

Here's a summary of the changes that will kick in from January 2020:

• The Ministry of Health (MOH) is lifting the age limit for women to undergo ART treatments and removing the cap on the number of ART cycles for all women.

• Women aged 40 and above will be eligible for co-funding for up to two of the six co-funded ART cycles.

• This is as long as the couple had attempted assisted reproduction (AR) or Intra-Uterine Insemination (IUI) procedures before age 40, and are assessed medically fit by their doctor to carry a pregnancy to term.

• Eligible couples can receive co-funding of up to S$7,700 per fresh cycle and S$2,200 per frozen cycle for three cycles each.

• If one spouse is a permanent resident, the co-funding is up to S$5,700 per fresh cycle and S$1,600 per frozen cycle.

• If one spouse is a foreigner, co-funding is up to S$3,600 per fresh cycle and up to S$1,000 per frozen cycle.

IUI procedures new subsidies

Co-founding will also be rolled out for the less invasive IUI procedure at public assisted reproduction centres -- the Singapore General Hospital, KK Women's and Children's Hospital and National University Hospital.

Those undergoing IUI procedures at public AR centres will be able to receive co-funding of up to 75 percent, capped at S$1,000 per treatment cycle for three cycles, as long as the woman is below 40 at the start of the cycle.

The couple must also have been assessed by a doctor at the centre and one spouse has to be a Singapore citizen.

If one spouse is a permanent resident, the co-funding is up to S$700.

If one spouse is a foreigner, the co-funding is up to S$500.

Singaporeans are urged to marry and start families early, MOH said.

MOH cautioned that the success rate for ART carried out beyond age 40 remains low and the likelihood of pregnancy complications increases with maternal age.