Lien Foundation invests $4m to study pre-pregnancy mental health in SG

The study will chart the preconception readiness of 500 participants.

Philanthropic organisation, Lien Foundation, will allocate $4m to fund Singapore’s first interventional study, which seeks to improve the mental and metabolic health of women before they get pregnant.

The Healthy Early Life Moments in Singapore (HELMS) study, which involved 500 overweight women, will chart participants’ course from preconception readiness, through two years of postnatal care of the mother and child.

Aside from the Lien Foundation, HELMS study is also conducted through a partnership of healthcare group, AMILI, and KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

Lien Foundation CEO Lee Poh Wah said HELMS will transform the “paradigm” of healthcare for mothers and children as Singapore has been bearing the brunt of fertility rates below replacement levels.

“Singapore has been grappling with fertility rates below replacement levels, a demographic challenge of national priority. With human capital being our most valuable resource, the quality of birth is no less a priority than boosting birth numbers alone,” said Lee.

The study will also contribute to the efforts of the Singapore government’s task force on child and maternal health and well-being, added Lee.