Dr Roland Chieng

Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Parkway East Hospital, Singapore

Dr Roland Chieng is an Obstetrician and Gynecologist at Parkway East Hospital in Singapore, who specializes in fertility disorders and in vitro fertilization or IVF.

No, I did not see Dr Chieng because I wanted a baby, but rather to understand how women (make that couples) are addressing fertility issues these days. Who takes the lead? What are their expectations? How does he deal with the emotional issues? I have a lot of questions for a guy who doesn’t want to have a baby!

According to Dr Chieng, there are three sides to the IVF discussion. The first is clinical. The second is lifestyle. The third is emotional, and that one is a biggie.

From a clinical point of view, Dr Chieng says pinpointing the clinical issues underlying infertility are pretty straightforward. He credits his outcomes (60% pregnancy rate) to a combination of technique, time and team.

Lifestyle issues, like stress, do play a role, Dr Chieng says, but it’s often hard to quantify. Couples trying to conceive often put a lot of pressure on themselves and when they don’t succeed that leads to more frustration and stress. Dr Chieng’s advice is simple but effective. Take a break and remove the pressure.

The emotional issues are more complex, says Dr Chieng. Issues of burden, blame and responsibility are often “in play” which require him to be a counselor and clinician. As he wisely put it, “having a baby is sometimes more than just having a baby”.

Dr Chieng took time to show me photos of his patients and their babies after we finished talking. It was clear that this was a doctor who wanted to help couples achieve a dream.

Borrowing a phrase, sometimes a doctor has to be more than a doctor, and Dr Chieng seems to fit that bill.

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