Getting pregnant should be a conscious decision. However, sometimes, our little bundle of joys can also come unexpectedly. If you have been considering motherhood, but unsure of when to start this lifetime commitment. Here are some analyses throughout the years that may affect your timeline.

Getting pregnant is the easy part. However, it is raising the child (and the cost of it) that makes you reconsider whether motherhood is right for you.

Age: 20+

Although a woman is most fertile in her 20s, this may also be the age you overlook the heavy financial aspects of expecting a child.

Getting pregnant in your 20s is considered low-risk as this is when a woman has the highest number of good quality eggs available. Therefore, if you or your partner decide to get pregnant, this is the time you least have to worry about complications.

The New Savvy - Women - Motherhood

However, it is important to note that starting a family requires a certain level of financial security that you and your partner might have not yet achieved at an early age.

Many young couples tend to overlook the cost of raising a child until he or she is ready to venture out to the world on their own. If you do choose to get pregnant at this age, here are some first year financial aspects that you should consider:

Before childbirth:

Item Price range
Consultation $50 to $200
Ultrasound $80 to $150
Pap smear $40 to $80
Blood test $75 to $180


After childbirth:

Item Estimated Price
First Year Baby Gear $8,270
First Year’s Diapers $550
Meals for Family $11,000
One Year of Childcare $9,000

In the first year, a couple may spend over $20,000 on a combination of prenatal and postnatal appointments, any tests run, labour and delivery and all of the items needed for the child. Additionally, middle income families spend $233,610 to raise the child to age 17 years old.

If you think that you both still need time to reassess your finances, contraceptives such as birth control pills is an option in Singapore and is highly recommended for women aged under 35 years old. It is 91% effective, and if taken regularly, it can help you prevent unwanted pregnancy and have some positive and negative effects.

You will need to get a prescription from a general practitioner or a gynaecologist. The three most common brands used in Singapore are Yasmin, Yaz and Diane-35. They range from $25 to $40 for a month’s supply. The cheapest is Diane-35, while Yasmin is the priciest.

Do note that the chance of blood clots, stroke or even heart attack increases with your age and how heavily you smoke.

Age: 30+

A woman’s fertility begins to decline in her 30s, with a more significant decline after age 35. Each month, there’s only a 20 per cent chance of pregnancy for a woman in her 30s.

After age 35, the risk for miscarriage, genetic abnormalities and other complications arise more rapidly. Therefore, if you choose to get pregnant in your 30s, you might want to freeze your eggs in your 20s, as egg freezing in your 30s will require multiple cycle in order to freeze a good number of eggs.

More Singaporean women are opting to freeze their eggs overseas. According to an article by The Straits Times, the prices are as follows:

“In Malaysia, centres contacted by The Sunday Times charge between RM15,000 (S$5,000) and RM20,000. Storage fees are an additional RM1,000 or more a year. Whereas, it costs about A$11,000 (S$11,300) for one cycle of egg freezing at Virtus Health in Australia, excluding the A$500 annual storage fee”.

You can also consider egg freezing in Singapore , do contact Zora Health to get all your egg freezing questions answered.

However, if you decide to go through the traditional way, you can consider contacting a fertility specialist. Especially if you are not pregnant after six months of trying.

Age: 40+

Women face a higher percentage of difficulty getting pregnant each year after age 35. According to the ASRM, a woman has only a 5 percent chance of pregnancy each month once she turns 40.

Although famous celebrities get pregnant after 40 years old, they might have gone through multiple cycles on in vitro fertilization (IVF), surrogacy or even have used an egg donor to get pregnant.

It’s also important to recognize that pregnancy and delivery gets harder as a woman ages. Women might have health problems that make getting pregnant dangerous as well.

Medical conditions like gestational diabetes and preeclampsia are more common in older women. Additional testing and monitoring might be needed to look for potential complications.

According to Virtus Fertility Centre, “with maximum allowable Medisave withdrawal for 1st and 2nd cycles, the out-of-pocket payment for a complete IVF treatment cycle can be within $3,000″.

IVF or IUI Treatment Cost
Fertility Test in Singapore: Pelvic ultrasound for the woman, a semen analysis for the man and combined couple consultation by Fertility Specialist $299
Oocyte (Egg) Retrieval: All inclusive of doctor’s fees, anaesthetist fees, operating theatre & recovery room charges, laboratory charges (ICSI/IMSI, Blastocyst culture) and freezing & storage of embryos for 90 days $8,800* – $9,500**
Embryo Transfer: All inclusive of doctor’s fees, operating theatre, recovery room charges and laboratory charges (embryo thawing if necessary, assisted hatching) $4,000 –

$5,300**

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI): All inclusive of doctor’s fees, facility fees and laboratory charges including catheter $880

 

 

 

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Founder @ The New Savvy
Anna Haotanto is the Advisor (former CEO) of The New Savvy. She is currently the COO of ABZD Capital and the CMO of Gourmet Food Holdings, an investment firm focusing on opportunities in the global F&B industry. She is part of the founding committee of the Singapore FinTech Association and heads the Women In FinTech and Partnership Committee. Anna is the President of the Singapore Management University Women Alumni. Anna invests and sits on the board of a few startups. Anna is also part of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry Career Women’s Group executive committee. Anna’s story is featured on Millionaire Minds on Channel NewsAsia. She hosts TV shows and events, namely for Channel NewsAsia’s “The Millennial Investor” and “Challenge Tomorrow”, a FinTech documentary. Anna was awarded “Her Times Youth Award” at the Rising50 Women Empowerment Gala, organised by the Indonesian Embassy of Singapore. The award was presented by His Excellency Ngurah Swajaya. She was also awarded Founder of the Year for ASEAN Rice Bowl Startup Awards. She was also awarded the Women Empowerment Award by the Asian Business & Social Forum. Anna has been awarded LinkedIn Power Profiles for founders (2018, 2017), Tatler Gen T, The Peak’s Trailblazers under 40 and a nominee for the Women of The Future award by Aviva

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