Procedure
Dr Chen may recommend a colonoscopy if you have any of the following, or for routine colorectal cancer screening, which in Singapore is recommended from age 50 for people at average risk and earlier if you have a family history1:
The bowel must be empty and clean so the surgeon can see the lining clearly. You will be given detailed instructions at your consultation. In general:
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 2–3 days before | Start a low-fibre diet; avoid nuts, seeds and high-fibre foods |
| Day before | Clear fluids only from a set time; take the prescribed bowel-cleansing preparation in the evening |
| Morning of | A second dose of preparation may be needed; stop clear fluids a few hours before your appointment time |
BUILD NOTE: the worked example below is Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s published PICOPREP protocol, used to show patients what a real schedule looks like. Dr Chen’s own protocol and timings must replace or confirm it at the content interview.
Prep instructions vary by the agent prescribed and by the time of your appointment, so the schedule you are given may differ from this one. A typical schedule for a morning appointment looks like this.6
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Day before, 7am, 12pm and 6pm to 6.30pm | Light low-fibre breakfast, lunch and dinner. No more food allowed after dinner6 |
| Day before, allowed foods | White bread with no spread, white rice or porridge, eggs, lean meat such as chicken or fish, coffee or tea without milk6 |
| Day before, foods to avoid | Whole grains and oats, fruits, vegetables, dairy products6 |
| Day before, 2pm and 8pm | One PICOPREP sachet mixed with 150ml of warm water, stirred for 2 to 3 minutes, followed by at least 1 litre of plain water each time6 |
| Day of procedure | No food. Stop drinking plain water 2 hours before the procedure6 |
Whatever prep you are given, check the result before you travel in. The prep has worked when your stool is clear or pale yellow. If it still looks dark or solid, some centres ask you to arrive 2 hours early so that extra medication may be given.6
If you are unsure on the day, do not hesitate to give us a call before travelling in.
A colonoscopy is usually performed as a day procedure. You are given sedation through a drip so you are comfortable and drowsy. The colonoscope is passed gently through the anus and guided around the large bowel. If polyps are found, they can often be removed during the same procedure, and small tissue samples (biopsies) may be taken. The examination itself usually takes 15 to 30 minutes.2 Allowing for preparation, sedation and recovery, set aside a few hours at the day-surgery centre.
Most colonoscopies do not find cancer. The common findings are benign, and several of them explain the symptoms that prompted the test in the first place.
The advantage over a stool test is that anything found can usually be dealt with in the same session. About 90% of polyps can be removed during the procedure, which avoids the need for surgery,1 and it allows the whole large bowel to be examined directly.1
If a polyp is removed, the laboratory result usually takes some days. Our clinic will contact you once it is available, and that result is what sets the interval for your next examination.
You rest in the recovery area until the sedation wears off. You may feel bloated as trapped air passes. Bloating and cramps usually wear off after a day, drowsiness and dizziness typically resolve within a day, and loose stools can continue for a few days.3
For 24 hours after the sedation, do not drive or operate machinery, avoid alcohol and sleeping tablets, and put off anything with significant consequences such as signing a legal document.3 Please arrange for someone to accompany you home. You can eat normally the same day and return to your usual activities the following day.2
The interval depends on what was found. For people at average risk with nothing found, screening is recommended from age 50, by colonoscopy every 5 to 10 years or a stool test annually.1
Where polyps were removed, the interval shortens and is set by their number, size and type. The timeframes below are the ones MOH allows to be claimed. They are not clinical guidelines, but they give a fair indication of the intervals used here.5
| What was found | Typical interval |
|---|---|
| High-risk polyps, meaning larger than 1cm, multiple, or with villous architecture | 1 to 3 years after polypectomy5 |
| Low-risk polyps | 3 to 5 years after polypectomy5 |
| Polypectomy that was incomplete | A repeat scope within 6 months5 |
| Inflammatory bowel disease | First surveillance scope 8 years after diagnosis, then every 1 to 5 years by risk5 |
| After colorectal cancer surgery with the colon fully assessed beforehand | At 1 year, 3 years and 5 years after surgery, then every 3 years5 |
Dr Chen will advise after reviewing your results.
What you pay depends on whether the colonoscopy is diagnostic or includes polyp removal, and on your insurance. A screening colonoscopy can be paid for from MediSave if you are over 50 and have it in an approved day surgery setting.4,5
MediShield Life does not cover tests done purely for screening, so a screening colonoscopy is not claimable under it, while a colonoscopy done to investigate symptoms is treated differently.5 Integrated Shield cover can differ on the same basis. We are happy to give you a clear, personalised estimate, including what you can claim, before your procedure.
Colonoscopy cost & what you can claim →
Colonoscopy is a commonly performed and generally safe procedure. As with any medical procedure there are some risks, which Dr Chen will discuss with you. They include bleeding, most often after polyp removal, a reaction to the sedation, and rarely a tear in the bowel wall.
These risks are higher when a polyp is removed. Dr Chen will explain them in the context of your own health before you begin treatment.
Afterwards, contact a doctor immediately if you develop severe abdominal pain, fever or rectal bleeding,2 and go to an emergency department for breathing difficulty, excessive bleeding or black stools, severe abdominal pain or bloating, severe chest pain, or persistent vomiting or nausea.3
For eligible Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents, a colonoscopy is MediSave-claimable,4,5 and part of the cost may be covered by your Integrated Shield plan. Contact us to confirm your eligibility.
BUILD NOTE: confirm which insurer panels Dr Chen is on before publishing logos.
A colonoscopy is usually done under sedation, so most patients are asleep or drowsy and do not feel pain during the procedure. Some bloating or cramping can occur afterwards as trapped air passes.
The procedure itself usually takes 15 to 30 minutes.2 With preparation, sedation and recovery, set aside a few hours at the clinic or day-surgery centre.
Colonoscopy is MediSave-claimable for eligible Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents. A screening colonoscopy is claimable if you are over 50 and have it in an approved day surgery setting, while MediShield Life does not cover tests done purely for screening.4,5 If you have an Integrated Shield plan, part of the cost may also be covered. Contact us to confirm your eligibility.
You follow a low-fibre diet for a day or two, then take a prescribed bowel-cleansing preparation the evening before and, in some cases, the morning of the procedure. Detailed instructions are given at your consultation.
The examination may be incomplete and need repeating, which is the most common reason a colonoscopy has to be done again. Some centres provide a stool appearance chart and ask you to arrive 2 hours early if the stool still looks dark or solid, so that extra medication may be given.6 If you are unsure on the day, do not hesitate to give us a call before travelling in.
Most often polyps, diverticulosis, piles, or nothing abnormal at all. Colonoscopy allows the whole large bowel to be examined directly, and about 90% of polyps can be removed during the procedure, which avoids the need for surgery.1 A normal result is a useful outcome in itself.
If nothing is found and you are at average risk, the screening interval is every 5 to 10 years.1 If polyps were removed, it is sooner: 1 to 3 years for high-risk polyps, meaning those larger than 1cm, multiple, or with villous architecture, and 3 to 5 years for low-risk polyps.5 Dr Chen will confirm your interval once the laboratory result is back.
No. For 24 hours after the sedation, do not drive or operate machinery, avoid alcohol and sleeping tablets, and put off anything with significant consequences such as signing a legal document.3 Please arrange for someone to accompany you home.
BUILD NOTE: every figure on this page carries a numbered citation. All five sources were fetched and checked on 22 September 2026. Re-check each at medical review and again before the domain cutover, since MOH, HealthHub and hospital pages are revised without notice.
Send a message on WhatsApp or request an appointment with Dr Chen. Our clinic will get back to you during operating hours.
