A guide to women's clinics and gynaecologists in Singapore: What services they offer and their cost

The female body is a wonderful, complex machine. But, like any machine, sometimes it doesn't work the way it's supposed to over time.

To maintain your female reproductive health, you might want to visit a women's clinic or gynaecologist where you can see a doctor specially trained in health and diseases related to women.

You might be wondering, must I get myself checked at a women's clinic if I don't feel there's anything wrong? How are women's health screenings by gynaecologists different from regular health screenings at GPs, and how much will it cost?

Here's a price guide to five women's clinics in Singapore.

1. What is a women's clinic, gynaecologist, obstetrician, and OBGYN?

You've probably heard these terms before, but may not know what they mean. So before we delve into our cost guide to women's clinics in Singapore, here's a breakdown of the differences between a gynaecologist, obstetrician, and OBGYN or O&G, and the role these play in a women's clinic.

Think of a gynaecologist as a general women's doctor for anything to do with female reproductive health except pregnancy. A gynae can do everything from screening you for cervical cancer to treating your painful or irregular menstruation, but does not monitor a pregnancy or deliver a baby.

Should you have health issues relating to hormonal imbalances, sexually transmitted diseases, or chronic conditions like endometriosis, a gynae is your guy (or gal).

If a woman is pregnant, that's where an obstetrician comes in. An obstetrician is a doctor who looks after the welfare of mother and child from pregnancy to childbirth and even postnatal care.

They will monitor foetal development, see the mother safely through pregnancy, and be there during and after childbirth to ensure there are no complications.

As the letters suggest, an OBGYN or O&G specialist stands for obstetrician (and) gynaecologist. These refer to a health professional who encompasses both of the fields we talked about earlier.

Essentially, an OBGYN or O&G (the term more commonly used in Singapore) is a woman's go-to doctor for anything to do with female reproductive health and pregnancy.

In Singapore, a women's clinic is a general term for a clinic that specialises in women's health issues, including women screening packages, birth control, and pregnancy.

In a women's clinic, you can find medical professionals such as a gynaecologist, obstetrician, and OBGYN or O&G. However, in Singapore, you may see the term "women's clinic" used to refer to gynaecology clinics that are separate from obstetrics services. 

2. DSC Clinic

The DSC Clinic (DSC = Department of Sexually Transmitted Infections Control) is a specialist outpatient clinic for the diagnosis, treatment and control of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). Funded by the Ministry of Health (MOH), it is a public institution.

The clinic specialises in sexual health issues of youths and adults. So, it isn't solely a women's clinic as a whole, but does have a dedicated female-only Women's Clinic that is supported by a team of female staff. Here are the services they offer:

• Comprehensive screening
• Effective treatment of STIs
• Management of other genital conditions
• Vaccinations for Hepatitis B, HPV and cervical cancer
• Pap smear
• Confidential counselling

Do note that these are gynaecological services, and DSC Clinic does not provide obstetric support. So for any pregnancy matters, check out the other clinics on this list instead.

Here's a price list for their services:

DSC Clinic

Contact:

• For appointment booking: 6293 9648 / apptdsc@nsc.com.sg / Book a DCS appointment online
• For confidential counselling or queries about STI: 1800 252 1324 

Location: 31 Kelantan Lane #01-16, Singapore 200031

3. Thomson Women's Clinic

Thomson Women's Clinic is actually a network of women's clinics managed by Thomson Medical. That's great news when it comes to convenience, because there are a bunch of clinics located all over the island: Bukit Batok, Choa Chu Kang, Jurong, Punggol, Sembawang, Sengkang, Serangoon, Tampines, Tiong Bahru.

Thomson Women's Clinic offers a wide range of gynaecological services:

• Well women health screening
• Urinary incontinence management
• Common gynaecological conditions e.g. uterine fibroids, endometriosis, ovarian cysts, adhesions
• Gynae cancer management
• Infertility workup
• Fertility treatment
• Family planning
• Menstrual related disorders e.g. heavy menstrual bleeding
• Healthy ageing
• Minimal invasive operations
• Management of menopause

Additionally, Thomson Medical has two centres dedicated to specific areas of women's health:

• Thomson Breast Centre — diagnosis and treatment of all breast-related concerns
• Thomson Women Cancer Centre — screening, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancers in women

Each clinic in the Thomson Women's Clinic network has their own pricing for various procedures. They don't publish any cost lists online, so you'll have to call in to the specific clinic you want to visit to enquire about their charges.

For a rough idea of what you can expect, we called in to the Tampines branch, which seems to have garnered the best reviews online out of all the clinics. Here's the price of their basic services; these shouldn't differ greatly from other Thomson Women's Clinics:

Service	Cost
Consultation	$85 for first-time consultation, $75 thereafter
Pelvic scan	From $75-$85
Pap smear	$40

Thomson Women’s Clinic

Contact: 6250 2222

Location: 9 clinics islandwide

4. Women's Clinic of Singapore

Located in the heartlands of Singapore, the Women's Clinic of Singapore is run by gynaecologist and obstetrician Dr Jen Shek Wei. A veteran in the field, Dr Jen has been in private practice for more than two decades. The clinic specialises in safe, MOH-accredited, fully confidential abortions for both Singaporeans and foreigners.

Here's a breakdown of the costs for abortion here:

Service	Cost
Doctor consultation	$150
Pap smear	$30
Ultrasound	$100
Anaesthetic fee	$250
Procedure fee	From $1,300
Facility fee	$450
Ward fee	$350
Total estimated fee	$2,910
Estimated review fee	$200

Women’s Clinic of Singapore

Contact: 6459 2833

Location: Blk 721 Ang Mo Kio Ave 8, #01-2813, Singapore 560721

5. Astra Women's Specialists

Astra Women's Specialists is a collective of gynaecologists and obstetricians that is part of the Women's Health arm of the Singapore Medical Group (SMG). There are 13 clinics and 12 specialist doctors in the group. SMG is a private specialist and primary healthcare provider that was incorporated in 2005.

Their specialty is divided into six categories:

• Pregnancy (from pre-conception checks to postnatal care)
• Gynaecology (female health in general)
• Fertility (including IVF and managing miscarriages)
• Birth control (including contraception and abortion)
• Keyhole surgery (including infertility assessment and removal of fibroids and ovarian cysts)
• Urogynaecology (female urinary disorders)

This is how much you can expect to pay here:

Service	Cost
Doctor consultation	From $200
Pelvic scan	$110
Pap smear	$90
HPV vaccine (Gardasil 9)	$310 per dose

For other procedures such as keyhole surgery, colposcopy (examination of the cervix and vagina), prenatal package and menopause treatment, costs will be quoted upon consultation.

Astra Women’s Specialists

Contact: 6353 3878 (for the main clinic in Novena) / contact@smgwomenshealth.sg

Location: 13 clinics islandwide

6. Sidek Clinic for Women

Sidek Clinic for Women is more than 20 years old, with patients hailing from Singapore as well as Asia and the Middle East. It's helmed by Dr Sidek, who provides a range of obstetric and gynaecological services as well as less common services in the area of cosmetic gynaecology:

• Women's health screening
• Pregnancy check-ups
• Delivery
• Fertility treatment
• Birth control
• Termination of pregnancy
• Sterilisation
• Menopause treatment
• Keyhole surgery
• Menstrual abnormalities
• Treatment of incontinence
• Cosmetic gynaecology services

Here's how much the treatments/services cost:

 

Service	Cost
Doctor consultation	$$ 128.40 – $214
Ultrasound scans	$ 85.60 to $107 for the first scan, $64.20 thereafter
Pap Smear	$42.80 to $85.60
Intrauterine Contraceptive Device (IUCD) insertion	$914.85
Abortion	$1,750 to $2,060
Prenatal package (covers all visits from 16 weeks till delivery)	$700
Delivery charges	$ 3,317 (for normal delivery) to $4,387 (caesarean section)

Sidek Clinic for Women

Contact: 6787 8863

Location: 8 Sinaran Drive #06-02, Novena Specialist Center, Singapore 307470

When should you go to a women's clinic or gynaecologist?

Pre-puberty

Your first visit to the gynaecologist can begin as early as at age nine. It's from then that girls can get vaccinated against HPV, a group of viruses that causes 70 per cent of cervical cancer cases. You can also get the HPV vaccine at a regular GP. Do note that you should get the HPV vaccine by age 26 — speak to your doctor if you are older than that but have not received the vaccine. 

Sexually active

Before you become sexually active, you should schedule an exam (including a pelvic exam to check that your reproductive system is in good order) and a chat with your gynaecologist. It's a good idea to schedule this even if you don't feel there's anything 'wrong', because your gynaecologist will help you to:

• Understand how your body works and how to care for it-what's normal and what to look out for
• Decide on your birth control method
• Know how to protect yourself against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)

Once you're sexually active, you'll probably be seeing your gynae regularly depending on the type of contraceptive you've chosen. And, you should see them once every three years for a Pap smear to screen for early signs of cervical cancer.

Pre-pregnancy

When you intend to start a family, you should again schedule a check-up with your gynaecologist.

If you've been seeing your gynae regularly, they would already know your medical and gynaecological history. They may get updates on those and chat with you about your lifestyle to make sure you've living healthily enough to sustain a pregnancy.

If you haven't had your reproductive system checked out in recent times, your gynae may do a check to rule out endometriosis, fibroid tumours and other issues that may stall your efforts.

They may also test you for infections. Then, they may ascertain your fertility and give you advice on how best to go about getting pregnant.

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Pregnancy

Once you think you're pregnant, you'll return to your gynaecologist to confirm the good news with either a urine test, a blood test or a scan. From then till the baby is born, you'll be seeing them regularly.

Your gynae will be there at the birth and you'll have to see them six weeks after delivery to make sure everything is alright.

Middle-aged/menopausal

Once you hit 40, you'll see your gynae once a year for a mammogram, the most effective way to screen for breast cancer. Past 50, you can cut it down to once every two years.

As you reach your late 40s to early 50s when menopause sets in, you may see your gynae for treatment to alleviate some of the more severe symptoms of menopause (if you have any).

Even after menopause, you would still continue to see your gynaecologist for wellness checks: annual pelvic exams, mammograms every two years and Pap smears every three years.

ALSO READ: Fibre and pregnancy: Why every expectant mum should prioritise this nutrient

This article was first published in MoneySmart.