Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen didn't have women like Helen in mind when he suggested last month that Hong Kong couples should have three babies each. For Helen, just one would be a minor miracle. The 38-year-old is undergoing private in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment after spending two years unsuccessful trying to conceive naturally. It's been an ordeal, both physically and mentally.
While birth rates in Hong Kong have been falling precipitously, the availability of IVF treatment in public hospitals has been reduced, leaving couples with the choice of a wait of up to a year for treatment, or private treatment costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.
They also face additional barriers of negative social attitudes towards IVF treatment and limited public information available about the procedure.
'Most of us who undergo the treatment keep it secret,' Helen said. 'One woman I know couldn't tell her own parents or her husband's parents. They found it embarrassing and they didn't want to tell people.
'It's very difficult for couples in this situation because other people assume having a baby is natural and there is something wrong with you if you are not finding it easy.'
Helen refused to lie about her situation. 'I wouldn't initiate the subject, but if people ask me about it I tell them. If you talk openly about it, you feel better. I don't think it is anything to be embarrassed about.
