What’s pushing Singaporean women to cross the Causeway to seek fertility treatment in Johor Bahru? Talking Point investigates.
SINGAPORE: She used to go to Johor Bahru at least thrice a week for six months, telling herself “to be strong” and think positively “no matter what”.
Driven by desperation and hoping for success, getai celebrity Liu Ling Ling had done her research — she chose the most popular clinic in town for her treatments.
“The nurse also told me a lot of Singaporeans (make) their babies here,” she said.
That has not changed, six years after she successfully underwent in-vitro fertilization and became a first-time mother at the age of 50.
There is a concentration of fertility clinics just 10 minutes away from Woodlands Checkpoint. And a couple of them disclosed that most of their patients come from Singapore.
Age is a reason, as IVF for women aged 45 and older is not allowed here. But there are also other reasons Singaporeans are crossing the Causeway for these treatments, the programme Talking Point discovers. (Watch the episode here.)
And with fertility clinics seeming to boast high success rates, there is a question whether the reality is as good as promised, or are women pinning too much hope on IVF, overseas or locally?
Source: CNA