Accompanied by her friend, she eventually went to a gynaecologist's clinic.

"It was a proper one, unlike what you see on TV, in dramas and shows. Nothing dodgy about it."

But before the abortion, she had to go through a counselling session with the doctor.

She was also shown a video which detailed the procedure and warned of its risk.

This is part of the process mandated by MOH.

Ms Tan says: "I think it was a way of trying to ensure that we knew what we were getting into, and that we wouldn't regret it.

"After all, it was a life that we are getting rid of."

The 10-minute video changed her mind - albeit for four days, which included the 48-hour cooling period.

"I changed my mind and decided to go home. I kept thinking about it and wondered if there was another way out," she says.

"Look, it wasn't a decision I made on the spur of the moment. I had considered all the options, weighed the pros and cons.

"Between that niggling feeling (of guilt) and my future, I finally picked what I felt was more important - my future."

She pauses for several seconds, then adds softly: "Yes, when you are young, your priorities are different."

It was a painless procedure that lasted less than two hours.

"But I didn't know there were other things that I should have taken care of. For example, I found out only much later (from friends) that an abortion is more physically exhausting than giving birth.

"I didn't take care of my health."

She also didn't abstain from sex.

She says: "I didn't tell my then-boyfriend about what I'd done."

Six months later, she found out she was pregnant again.

That was a blow.