Survey Finds Long Hour & Job Stress As Top Obstacles For Fertility in S’pore

By
Victor Fong
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It’s not like I’m anywhere of age to be related to this fertility thing, considering the fact that I’m not married.

But it’s not hard to see why fertility rates are low in S’pore. It was 1.14 last year.

Stress high, how to want to raise children? Long hours, how to take care of children, then maid become the mother meh?

Of course, those are thoughts of a millennial or whatever you want to label this generation as he lived and saw the world.

But now, I have a survey to back up those opinions in case any of my aunties or uncles start pestering me with Oi, when start family? Where the girlfriend? Why you lidat?

It’s not just me that is lidat, okay?

Survey By Voluntary Welfare Organisation I Love Children (ILC)

What you need to know is that the organisation‘s main objective is to raise our fertility rates. On in their words, “keeping Singapore young”.

This was a poll conducted from Apr 2019 to May 2019 on the streets, getting responses from 1,000 Singaporeans and is part of their fertility awareness campaign.

S’poreans Not Familiar With Fertility Issues

Although 77% of newlywed couples want to have children within three years, of those actively trying, 40% have difficulties doing so with ungiven reasons.

70% actually thinks that assisted reproduction technologies can help solve fertility problems. Only 27% of respondents know that the success rate of live births from these technologies has a less than 50% success rate, and that it goes down with age.

The funny thing is, most people also don’t know how much sex they need to have to get pregnant.

(To be fair, I also didn’t know…)

The number is two to three times a week if you’re trying, according to Dr Tan Kai Lit.

As for other obstacles faced in getting pregnant, long work hours and job stress were cited as the top obstacles couples faced. The reason is: too tired or no mood for sex.

As a logical person with the normal stresses of everyday life:

Image: Giphy

Awareness of Potential Fertility Issues

58% were unaware of fertility health checks, which include an ultrasound scan, hormone blood test for egg reserves and ovulation, sperm analysis as well as a review of the results with a gynaecologist.

Even if you’re physically fit and active, you could be infertile. Certain medical conditions like irregular or abnormal menstrual bleeding could affect their chances of natural conception.

Although 40% said they would consider a fertility check, 42% felt they were expensive. Which they are, since they cost between S$450 to S$1,200.

But if you happen to be interested in one of those, ILC’s fertility awareness campaign is offering 200 fertility health check packages by Thomson Fertility Centre to selected married Singaporeans who only need to pay an admin fee of S$30.

They are also giving talks and seminars.

Marrying Later Is Also A Concern For Fertility

See, the median age for marrying was 30 years for men and 28.4 for women in 2017. In 2006, this is 29.7 for men and 27 for women.

This means that people are having a child later, duh. But the problem is that if you have a fertility problem at 31 or 33 years old, it may be too late to seek medical attention.

After those wall of texts, and maybe you didn’t bother to read everything. So here’s what you need to know:

Singaporeans are basically like the pandas in China now, who don’t have sex and have scientists wondering why.

Image: Giphy

Perhaps the normal men and women in Singapore are much like the caged pandas in more ways than just the lack of sex.

Watch this for a complete summary of what REALLY happened to Qoo10, and why it's like a K-drama:

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Victor Fong
Email: [email protected]