Shanghai is set to include 12 assisted reproductive medical services into its health insurance coverage in a move to encourage an upward tick in China's birth rate.

Effective June 1, expenses related to procedures like egg retrieval, sperm retrieval, artificial insemination, embryo culture and embryo transfer will be included in healthcare coverage, according to a circular jointly issued by the city's Healthcare Security Bureau, Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, and Health Commission.

To date, such healthcare coverage has been extended to 17 out of the 20 medical institutions in Shanghai providing assisted reproductive medical services.

The inclusion of these 12 items covers the majority of assisted reproductive technologies, which will effectively alleviate economic as well as psychological pressure on patients and their families, said Zhang Ting, a doctor at the reproductive medicine department of Renji Hospital.

For instance, healthcare insurance will pay for 70 percent of the egg retrieval cost, which stands at 2,500 yuan (about $352) per procedure, with each patient eligible for coverage thrice at a single medical institution, Zhang explained.