S'pore actress Kayly Loh, 37, pregnant through IVF after trying to conceive for 2 years

After about two years of trying and failing to conceive, Mediacorp actress Kayly Loh announced on Mar. 6 that she was about to become a mother.

She shared her excitement of "growing a tiny human" on Instagram, along with a photo of her holding an ultrasound image.

The baby boy was conceived through in vitro fertilisation (IVF), Loh revealed to local media.

Initially against IVF

Loh got married in 2021, when she was 33, and her husband, commercial director Jonathan Chong, was 35.

At the time, they decided to enjoy married life for two years before having children, Zaobao reported.

When the time came, however, the journey was more difficult than they had expected.

They were not able to conceive, despite fertility tests showing that everything was normal.

After trying various methods, including traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), they decided to give IVF a shot based on a doctor's advice.

"I resisted IVF for close to two years," Loh told Zaobao.

She was afraid of needles and felt that there was no need to rely on IVF if she and her husband were healthy.

But the doctor told the couple that if they wanted to have two children, it would be best to conceive before they turn forty, as their fertility will decline with age.

Getting the news

For Loh, the toughest part of the IVF process was enduring the side effects.

She received hormonal injections for two weeks to stimulate egg production, and it caused her stomach to bloat, making it uncomfortable to sit or lie down, sleep, or eat.

Fortunately, the couple's first attempt with IVF turned out to be successful.

Loh learnt that she was pregnant on their fourth wedding anniversary, she told 8world.

The couple went to take blood tests to check for any IVF results, which she soon received through an app on her phone.

As the results only showed a lot of numbers she did not understand, Loh took a screenshot and asked ChatGPT to analyse it.

The first thing ChatGPT replied with was, "Yes, you are pregnant".

"I started crying right then," Loh said. "My husband, who was driving at the time, got a shock and thought it was bad news."

They later received confirmation from the clinic.

Loh is currently four months pregnant, with the baby due in August.

A second child?

Looking back, Loh expressed gratitude that her parents never pressured her to have children. The pressure mainly came from herself, she told 8world.

She shared that she wants to have two children, but given how arduous the journey was to conceive one, she and her husband are just focused on their first child.

Top images from Loh's Instagram and Canva