The growing demand for the In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) procedure in the Philippines is mirroring the shifting broader global socio-demographic trends, according to an expert.听听听
鈥淚n this country, there historically haven’t been that many clinics proportional to the overall population and so for us, we saw it as a market that was relatively underserved,鈥澨鼼enPrime听Manila and Rhea Fertility Founding Chief Executive Officer Margaret Wang told听大象传媒听in an interview.听听
鈥淚t’s been a long part of the Philippine culture to actually build families鈥 think there’s just a lot of unmet demand,鈥 she added.听听
IVF is a听complex听medical procedure where听a听mature听egg is combined with sperm in a laboratory to produce a fertilized egg called an embryo. The embryo will then be placed back in the womb to implant itself and听proceed听with the pregnancy.听听
鈥淔or IVF, it’s not 100% accurate that you’ll get pregnant鈥or the Philippines, around 40%,鈥澨鼼enPrime听Manila Head Nurse Stephanie C. David told听大象传媒听in an interview.听听
鈥淚t’s听really a risk to take, but then听it’s听also a hope, it’s a chance to have your family, it鈥檚 still a 40% out of zero,鈥 she added. 鈥淚t’s something that we aim to give couples a chance to have a whole family.鈥澨听听
The growing popularity of IVF among Filipinos is attributed to the evolving socio-demographic patterns of Millennials and Generation Z (Gen Z) globally, driven by career aspirations.听听
鈥淚 think today听a lot of Millennials and Gen Zs,听they’re听very career-driven in that way. The mindset is听kind of like听let me build my career first, and then think about building a family,鈥 Ms. Wang said.听听听
鈥淭he people today are waiting longer to have听children,听they听may also be getting married later for the same reasons, or it’s just that they may know that they want to build a family, but not yet,鈥 she added.听听听
A report by research and analysis firm BMI revealed that the Philippines is forecasted to have the highest number of Generation Alphas in major Asian economies by 2030.听听
The report noted that Asia will account for 50% of the global Gen Alpha population, estimated at 935.7 million, with 27% of Asia’s population expected to come from the Philippines by 2030.听听
Gen Alpha is born between 2010 and 2024, succeeding Gen Z. 鈥 Almira Louise听S. Martinez
