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Reproductive health

Reproductive health
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Reproductive health. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Media attend a press briefing where Thai police showed pictures of surrogate babies in 2014, the year before Thailand banned commercial surrogacy. Photo: AP
Thailand

Wombs for hire: the painful price of Asia’s lawless baby trade

Commercial surrogacy is illegal in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. It is also worth an estimated US$15 billion a year.

Wellness

8 surprising sleep facts and why shut-eye affects every aspect of our lives

Wellness

Hong Kong start-ups are closing ‘glaring gap’ in women’s health technology

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Parent company of Hong Kong IVF clinic says sorry for embryo specimen mix-up

New Frontier Group vows to launch sweeping internal review into cause of mix-up at Heal Fertility’s clinic in Central.

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Heal Fertility has also been criticised for its delayed reporting of the incidents. Photo: Jelly Tse
Hong Kong society

Editorial | Thorough investigation needed into Hong Kong clinic’s IVF embryo mix-up

The last thing couples trying to conceive need is a loss of confidence in the medical science during a time of extreme stress.

Wellness

She lost her infant son. Strength training helped her rebuild her life

After losing her son Joshua, diet and weightlifting helped Beatrice Caffrey build physical and emotional strength. Now she’s helping others.

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Singapore

Is super-ageing Singapore headed for population decline?

With babies in short supply and its birth rate tanking, the city state is weighing a future of robots and immigrants.

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Illustration: Huy Truong
Wellness

Don’t have life sorted by 25? Not to worry – why TCM says your peak comes later

Traditional Chinese medicine observes peak physical and reproductive age as 28 for women and 32 for men, much older than in Western medicine.

Wellness

Men face many health crises in midlife. How can they avoid them and age well?

Ahead of Father’s Day, experts explain how men can lower the risk of heart attacks, diabetes, strokes and more for a long, healthy life.

Wellness

She put on 35kg in 6 months from a hormonal disorder. How she dealt with it

Personal trainer Ashleigh Martin reveals her journey with PMOS – until recently called PCOS – and why her lifestyle overhaul avoids GLP-1s.

Ashleigh Martin took up MMA fighting after rapidly gaining weight and experiencing erratic periods due to PMOS, a condition previously known as PCOS. Photo: Ashleigh Martin
Bangladesh

Delivery pains hamper Bangladesh’s family planning efforts

Nearly a third of districts in one of the world’s most densely populated countries are experiencing a shortage of condoms and contraceptives.

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A pharmacy worker arranges packets of condoms in Dhaka on April 27. Photo: AFP
United States

US Supreme Court restores access to abortion pill mifepristone

Women seeking abortions will be able to obtain the pill at pharmacies or through the mail, without an in-person visit to a doctor.

Wellness

What menopause products actually work? Doctors share how to buy wisely

From skin serums and rings to lotions and gadgets, products promising to help women with menopause symptoms are everywhere now.

Hong Kong society

Letters | Hong Kong must better support those facing unplanned pregnancies

Readers discuss the importance of creating an environment where people can seek help when needed, the government’s wild boar policy, and AI and journalism.

In Hong Kong some people still feel they have no one to turn to when facing a crisis pregnancy. Photo: Shutterstock
Science

Sex in space? Sperm struggles to navigate without gravity, scientists find

Researchers set up a tiny ‘obstacle course’ for the little swimmers to study the difficulties of procreating on spaceships or other planets.

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Some particularly resilient sperm made it through the obstacle course, suggesting that conceiving children in space will still be possible. Image: Shutterstock
Wellness

How new Hong Kong menopause support group aims to flip the conversation

Three doctors are launching The Hong Kong Menopause Society to raise awareness and understanding of menopause and perimenopause in the city.

United States

US woman charged with murder after taking abortion pill in Georgia

The woman gave birth to a premature infant who died within hours after taking misoprostol.

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Wellness

These new at-home tests let women get insights into their reproductive health

A Singapore-based start-up offers a hormone testing kit for perimenopausal women, while a German one gives insights based on menstrual blood.

Mayra Hurtado co-founded Hormony to address perimenopausal challenges by providing an at-home rapid hormone testing kit. New at-home tests are allowing women to gain insights into their reproductive health and may help narrow the gender data gap. Photo: Hormony
Wellness

Microplastics are a problem. These innovators are finding clever solutions

Microplastics have been linked to human health issues from low fertility to heart attacks. But some pioneers are fighting back.

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Icons and Influencers

Nadya Okamoto on challenging norms through menstrual care activism

With nearly 4.5 million TikTok followers, the entrepreneur – who also started a non-profit to combat period poverty – has clearly struck a chord.

Fame and celebrity

Meet Poppy Liu, who plays Helen on Netflix’s His & Hers

After studying theatre and women’s studies at university, they started a sex-positive production company and acted in shows like Better Call Saul – they’re also a trained doula.

Poppy Liu in front of a poster for the Hulu show Deli Boys in 2025. Photo: @poppyliu/Instagram
South Korea

South Korea’s record low birth rate leads to mass school closures

With student counts half of 1980 levels, South Korea confronts a crisis of empty classrooms and abandoned sites, raising worry over wasted assets.

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An empty classroom in a South Korean high school, with rows of desks and a blackboard. Photo: Shutterstock
Science

Sperm quality decline: could easy-to-use balm from China solve the crisis?

In China, unhealthy lifestyles, pollution and work-related stress are cited in public health discussions around declining sperm quality.

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Wellness

Love your baby bump? How to get a bespoke pregnancy sculpture in Hong Kong

Samantha Waterhouse was not able to capture her own unique curves during pregnancy, so now she helps other mothers-to-be preserve theirs.

Wellness

Hong Kong Cancer Fund’s CheckMate scheme wants men to ‘check them’ and talk

The initiative launched this Movember promotes pre-emptive checks for and dialogue about male-specific cancers affecting thousands each year.

Hong Kong actor and martial artist Andrew Pong is the face of Hong Kong Cancer Fund’s CheckMate campaign, which aims to make men’s cancers “openly discussed to the same level that breast cancer is among women”. Photo: Instagram/Andrew Pong
United States

US Supreme Court rejects appeal to overturn same-sex marriage ruling

The court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, denied Kim Davis’s appeal after she refused to issue marriage licences to a same-sex couple.

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Supporters of gay marriage wave the rainbow flag outside the Supreme Court in Washington in 2015 after it ruled the U.S. Constitution provides same-sex couples the right to marry. Photo: Reuters
China's ageing population

State matchmaking and a PR blitz – is this the way to boost China’s birth rate?

The dramatic approach adopted by one city is attracting nationwide attention, but critics warn more fundamental policy changes are needed.

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Wellness

Sol Menopause app offers information and tips for Asian women and employers

The Sol Menopause app addresses the lack of research into perimenopausal Asian women, offering guidance, tips and work solutions.

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