The numbers suggest more needs to be done to educate young women on how to ward off unwanted pregnancies, said Dr Beh Dr Beh Suan Tiong, president of the Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Singapore.

The latest survey was conducted by the society and the local arm of pharmaceutical giant Bayer Schering Pharma.

Many women do not use contraceptives thinking pregnancy 'won't happen to me', Dr Beh said.

The results of the survey, now in its third year, were similar to previous findings.

Meanwhile, researchers found of the women who practise birth control, 81 per cent use condoms, while 14 per cent employ the withdrawal method.

Just 11 per cent use the pill, despite studies that show it is far more reliable than other techniques. It fails less than 0.1 per cent of the time.

Condoms are up to 98 per cent effective in preventing pregnancy, but that number plummets if they are not used properly. The withdrawal method works just over 80 per cent of the time.

Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.