Thinking about IVF? Celebrities like Glenda Chong and Michelle Yeoh have opened up about it

For many couples, having a baby doesn’t always happen as easily – or as quickly – as movies make it look.

That’s where a modern medical breakthrough comes in: IVF, or in-vitro fertilisation.

How does IVF get you pregnant?

In simple terms, IVF is a medical procedure that helps you get pregnant by combining eggs and sperm in a lab, and then placing the embryo into the womb, when natural conception is difficult or not possible.

The process usually involves stimulating the ovaries to produce eggs, retrieving those eggs, fertilising them in a laboratory, and then transferring one or more embryos into the uterus.

Who is eligible for IVF in Singapore? How much does it cost?

So, who can try IVF? In Singapore, women up to age 45 are eligible, whether married or single, as long as they meet certain medical criteria.

Each cycle can cost $10,000–15,000 on average, though government co-funding and Medisave can offset part of it. And while success rates are closely tied to age – women under 35 typically see better outcomes, with chances falling after 40 – that does not mean it is impossible.

Yes, IVF can sound daunting. But many – including some of Asia’s biggest celebrities – have gone through it, proving that fertility struggles don’t have to be hidden, shameful, or hopeless. By sharing their journeys, these public figures have helped break taboos, spark conversations, and remind us that parenthood often looks different than expected.

Ahead, we spotlight some of the Asian stars who have been candid about their fertility struggles, from multiple failed cycles to the joy of finally holding their little ones.

Glenda Chong 

After a decade-long journey to parenthood, Singaporean newscaster Glenda Chong welcomed her first child, a son affectionately nicknamed Baby Chan, on March 5, 2025. At 51, her pregnancy was considered high-risk and came after 10 cycles of IVF, a process that, for her, involved visits to six doctors – including two from overseas – and the extraction and fertilisation of her eggs.

Glenda and her lawyer husband, Justin Chan, began trying to conceive naturally after marrying in 2014, adopting lifestyle changes such as cutting out alcohol and caffeine and exercising regularly. They also explored traditional methods like monitoring basal body temperature, Chinese medicine, and acupuncture. After two years without success, they turned to IVF.

The process was emotionally taxing, particularly in later cycles when age limited her egg production. “I was very, very, very sad. I don’t think I was mentally prepared for that one egg. So emotionally, I was just a complete mess,” Glenda admitted. 

Despite the challenges, the couple’s perseverance ultimately paid off, culminating in the birth of their healthy son.

Christine Fan (Fan Fan)

Taiwanese singer and television personality Christine Fan, also known as Fan Fan, has been open about her long and challenging path to motherhood. In her book The Pandas Are Here, she recounts conceiving her twin boys, River and Ryan, after struggling with infertility.

The IVF process was physically demanding: she had to take daily ovulation injections in her abdomen for ten consecutive days, which left bruises, caused weight gain, and triggered mood swings. She also had to use progesterone gel, which led to nausea. Despite these challenges, Fan Fan persevered, supported at every step by her husband, popular variety show host Blackie Chen.

Their perseverance was rewarded in January 2015, when they welcomed their twin sons – and the journey, though difficult, has not dimmed her radiant spirit.

Christine Chiu

Fans of Bling Empire will remember that Taiwanese-American socialite Christine Chiu and her husband, Dr Gabriel Chiu, were candid about the struggles behind welcoming their son, affectionately known as Baby G, born 2018. The couple underwent several rounds of IVF before his birth – a process Christine later admitted took a toll on her mental health.

“I had held it in for so long and that wasn’t great for my mental health,” she told Netflix Tudum. “There’s so much power in sharing our journeys and being there to support each other… it became a very lonely – unnecessarily lonely – journey.”

On the show, she also spoke about feeling pressure to produce a son to meet her in-laws’ expectations, while privately concealing the fact that infertility lay with her husband. In hindsight, that honesty has resonated widely. As she shared in another 2021 interview, “So many Asian women have reached out and said, ‘Thank you… because I am, too, covering up for my husband.’”

Siti Nurhaliza

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Malaysian singer Siti Nurhaliza has been open about the challenges of expanding her family, sharing her IVF journey for her second child in a heartfelt Youtube video released on her 42nd birthday. Titled Chapter 42: My IVF Story, the 16-minute video walks viewers through every step – from consultation sessions with her fertility specialist to the embryo implantation and the tense wait to confirm pregnancy.

In one poignant moment, Siti defied her doctor’s advice to wait two weeks before testing, checking with home pregnancy kits from the seventh day – each showing negative results. This candidness reflects the emotional rollercoaster she has experienced, and a true testament to her perseverance through her IVF journey: a miscarriage in 2015, followed by the birth of her first child, Siti Aafiyah, in 2018 after 11 years of trying.

Feiping Chang

Hong Kong socialite Feiping Chang has used her growing social media presence to candidly share the challenges behind welcoming her twin daughters, Lara and Leia, born July 2021. After trying to conceive naturally with her husband, Lincoln Li, the couple sought medical guidance and discovered that neither had any fertility issues – but conception still didn’t happen.

Following a “draining” eight months of traditional Chinese medicine with no success, they began IVF in the later half of 2019. The process was briefly paused due to the onset of Covid-19, but resumed in August 2020. Feiping has been open about the mental and physical toll of IVF, noting the stigma that still exists in Asia around seeking medical help to conceive.

“In Asia, IVF or receiving any medical help to get pregnant still has a stigma attached to it. I don’t think there is anything to be ashamed about. We are so lucky that today, technology is available to us, so why not use it?” she told her followers.

Michelle Yeoh

Not every IVF journey ends in a biological child, but that doesn’t mean the experience is without meaning or family joy. 

Oscar-winning actor Michelle Yeoh has never had biological children of her own, despite pursuing multiple IVF attempts in her late 20s. “I tried IVF… everything. I was desperate. I love kids and saw myself surrounded by them but there’s only so much you can put your body and mind through,” she told You magazine in 2018. The experience ultimately contributed to the end of her marriage to Hong Kong entrepreneur Dickson Poon.

Though she couldn’t conceive naturally, Yeoh has since embraced her role as a stepmother to Nicolas Todt, the son of her long-term partner, Jean Todt. She has also become a proud step-grandmother, frequently sharing her joy on social media as “Popo Michelle”, celebrating the birth of Nicolas’ daughter, Raelyn.

Even without biological children, Yeoh has consistently expressed admiration for mothers everywhere. At her Oscar acceptance speech for the 2022 blockbuster Everything Everywhere All at Once, she dedicated her award to “all the mums in the world, because they are really the superheroes, and without them none of us would be here tonight.”

Ase Wang

Singaporean actor and model Ase Wang shared in 2020 that she was on the fast track to motherhood after conceiving her first child via IVF on the very first attempt. In 2017, doctors had told her that natural conception would be difficult due to low egg reserves, prompting her to freeze her eggs.

“I was prepared to go through three or four more cycles,” Ase told The New Paper, reflecting on the relief and joy of conceiving on the first try. “It still hasn’t registered that this is really happening. It’s like I’m in a dream and I am so happy.”

She and her husband, American-born Chinese tech entrepreneur Jon Lor, registered their marriage in Bangkok in July 2020, and the embryo implantation took place the very next day. Their daughter, Kaya, was born in February 2021.

Gigi Lai

Former Hong Kong actor Gigi Lai, often called the “Goddess of Beauty,” turned to IVF to start her family with businessman Patrick Ma Ting-kung, whom she married in 2008. Two years later, the couple welcomed twin daughters, Gianna and Patricia, through the procedure. 

In 2012, they expanded their family with another daughter, Pegella, again via IVF.

Chen Zihan

Chinese actor Chen Zihan, known for television roles in Madame White Snake (2006) and The Myth (2010), revealed that she underwent 12 IVF cycles without success. 

Married to former Mediacorp actor Dai Xiangyu since 2016, Zihan took a three-year hiatus from acting between 2022 and 2025 to focus on fertility treatments. “During those three years, I underwent at least 12 IVF cycles, getting injections almost every single day,” she shared on the variety show Our Love Song. The repeated failures and the pain of egg retrievals led to emotional breakdowns – even crying in public while leaning on her husband for support.

Zihan clarified that the motivation for undergoing IVF was personal, not due to family pressure: “It’s purely because I love children. I believe having a baby is an important part of life.” The emotional toll eventually prompted Xiangyu to ask her to stop the treatments, as he could not bear seeing her in pain.

Their relationship also faced strain during this period due to long-distance careers and personal pressures, at one point even bringing thoughts of divorce into the mix. Zihan, determined to address the problems, insisted on a face-to-face conversation that allowed them to communicate openly and start healing.

While a biological child has yet to arrive, the couple has found joy in other ways, including adopting a stray cat, which Zihan credits with helping ease the regret of their fertility struggles.

Sora Ma

Former Mediacorp actor Sora Ma revealed that she conceived her son, Skye, via IVF after being advised by her doctor to seek medical support due to her age – 39 at the time – and her husband’s, known publicly only as Mr R, approaching 50. “This is the bravest thing I have done for myself… I’m an IVF mum,” she shared on Instagram, thanking her doctor, medical team, two close friends, her late husband, and herself for the courage to go through the journey.

Ma and her husband had hoped to start a family soon after marrying in 2022. Despite fertility tests suggesting natural conception should have been possible, IVF was recommended as a precaution given their ages. She announced her pregnancy via Instagram, already more than three months along.

Tragically, her husband passed away unexpectedly in June 2024, two months before Skye’s birth. In a bittersweet milestone, Ma became a Singaporean in August 2024 for her son and officially received her pink IC on her birthday, 22 January 2025.

Melody Chen 

Singaporean actor and radio personality Melody Chen, together with her husband, actor Randall Tan, overcame a long and emotional fertility journey to welcome twins Reuben Michael and Maegan Riley. The couple had been trying for a baby since marrying in 2008, enduring a failed IVF attempt and a miscarriage in 2012.

Their twins were conceived naturally after a final IVF cycle in February of the previous year, arriving prematurely but healthy. In a 2017 interview with Her World, Melody described the birth as “a harrowing start to [our] parenthood journey, from the emergency C-section to the constant worry about their survival.”

She expressed deep gratitude for the medical teams that supported them, from Mount Elizabeth Hospital, where the C-section was performed, to the NICU team at Singapore General Hospital, noting: “Thank God for the swift medical team… the twins are finally now stable and slowly progressing day by day.”

Son Dam-bi

South Korean singer and actor Son Dam-bi has been candid about her IVF journey, announcing in September 2024 that she is expecting her first child with her husband, former speed skater Lee Kyu-hyuk. The couple, married in 2022, shared parts of their fertility experiences with fans through Son’s YouTube channel.

Earlier, in June 2024, she revealed that she was undergoing her second IVF cycle, describing some of the physical challenges she faced, including weight gain as a result of the treatments and following her doctor’s guidance.