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This month, as THIS QUARTERLY celebrates with a special focus on women’s issues, we draw inspiration from someone who embodies the modern career woman – gentle yet strong, high achiever yet down to earth, caring and kind: Dr Ann Tan, the doctor behind Women & Fetal Centre at Paragon.| WORDS: JESSICA SE | PHOTOGRAPHY: EDDIE TEO (90120273) | STYLING: YEN WONG | MAEKUP: DELANIE WONG (91115566)

| HAIR: GEORGE LIM, BLOW+BAR (62387338) SPECIAL THANKS TO W HOTEL SINGAPORE

PASSION FOR MUMMY & BABY

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was an air of expectancy as the

photographers and I wait for Dr Ann

Tan to appear from the dressing room

for the cover shoot. The moment she stepped into the room, followed by

an entourage of stylists and makeup artist, and the shoot started, it was

difficult to imagine she was anyone other than a professional model.

She looked great, was easy to work with, and the pictures turned out

awesome.

In a little more than an hour, it was a wrap, and Dr Tan turned her full

attention to me for this interview. How would your best friend describe

you, I asked. She looked a bit bemused at the question, and after some

contemplation, replied, “Most people think I am an energizer bunny,

always running around, trying to do lots of different things. My mother

always said if the candle had 3 ends i would try to burn them all. I really

can’t help it, it’s just me trying to do what I think is best for all the people

and things I care about.

“People who don’t know me so well may think I’m a bit cold or stern

but when they get to know me, they are surprised when they realise how

friendly I am.”

Not only is she friendly, but when one gets to know her, one is also

impressed by how caring she is, especially with regards to matters close

to her heart – like the welfare of the mummies and babies she takes

care of!

“The worst thing I have experienced since becoming a doctor is

losing a baby, be it stillbirth or just a miscarriage or when there are

severe life threatening problems with mummy. As an obstetrician, I try

to reassure mummies that their babies are normal as well as to reassure

them that the pregnancy is progressing well. For me to have to tell the

mummy that their baby is not healthy or is not going to make it, is really

difficult ” even though it may be an early miscarriage or a stillbirth later

on in the pregnancy.”

“Whenever the baby goes, I still feel it very personally. I get upset.

I can’t really help it, I actually feel a lot. I don’t think I have ever been

cold,” sighs this doctor quietly as she reflects on past experiences.

“The next most difficult thing in any doctor’s life and for me, is that

we have done what we believe to be in the best interest for the patient

and for her to believe otherwise,” shares the doctor.

“The best thing to happen, of course, is when the pregnancy is very

difficult and it comes out well. Like the baby that premature breakage

of the water bag at 21 weeks and we actually managed to keep it in

until 28 weeks,” Dr Tan added as a smile lights up her face. “Actually I

didn’t believe it could happen but she wanted to try, so I said I’ll work

alongside with you, I will try and save the baby with you.

THERE

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“I told her we would just aim for 28 weeks and smack at 28 weeks, she went into

labour and we did the resection, and now, we have a little miracle baby girl running

around, and mummy is on to her next pregnancy, which also has its complications,” she

laughs.

Being the first Singaporean to hold a Diploma of Fetal Medicine from the Fetal

Medicine Foundation (an international body accrediting Fetal Maternal Medicine

specialists), Dr Tan is dedicated to the field of prenatal diagnosis and care of both

mother and foetus.

The next thing to happen in fetal medicine is the introduction of a new Non Invasive

Prenatal Test which uses free fetal DNA from the maternal blood for testing, says Dr Tan.

This highly sensitive screening test will help couples determine with a high degree of

confidence if their baby has one of the common chromosomal defects eg Trisomy 21,

13 or 18 or abnormalities involving the sex chromosomes. The test can be performed as

early as the 10 weeks of pregnancy. Early diagnosis allows patients and doctors more

time to decide on the plan for the pregnancy. The current First Trimester Pregnancy

Screen is 90 per cent sensitive whilst the NIPT which goes by names of Harmony or

MaterniT21 is 98-99 per cent sensitive. Should a positive screen be detected in either

case, an invasive diagnostic test needs to be performed so as not to lose a normal child.

Dr Tan explains, “Now you can draw mummy’s blood and have 99 per cent sensitivity

of knowing whether she is carrying a defective baby. This is really a breakthrough in the

prenatal screening. If the mother is older, or has had several miscarriages and is really

hoping to avoid an invasive test, a NIPT could well give her enough reassurance to avoid

any invasive testing.

Her hope for the future? Says Dr Tan: “I hope women will be allowed to have more

choices over their fertility utilization and preservation. I wish women would consider

using their fertility at a younger age and not be overly concerned with the difficulties of

raising a family whilst handling a career. However, for those who are not in a position to

utilize their fertility but know they wish to be parents, that they be given the opportunity

to conserve their eggs and men to conserve their sperms too. I think it’s a rational thing

for them to think about saving their fertility. I also wish women would look after their

health and nutrition better as that would solve many of the common medical issues in

pregnancy and beyond better.”

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Whenever the baby goes, I still feel

it very personally. I get upset. I can’t

really help it, I actually feel a lot. I

don’t think I have ever been cold.

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Dr Tan has been a companion, guru and a close friend in our long journey to become parents - she was ecstatic when our baby was conceived, concerned when our baby struggled, deeply compassionate when we lost our baby, helped us heal by staying in touch and then shared tears of joy when we became parents once again.

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TQ spoke to an old patient of Dr Tan for a deeper insight and she said ...

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