As Victorians celebrate one year of publicly funded IVF, figures have been released that reveal that in the past 12 months, over 200 women have become pregnant and 43 babies already born through the Australian first program.
Public Fertility Care was officially launched in October 2022 by the former Premier, Daniel Andrews. “IVF can be a game-changer for people who might be struggling to have a child,” Mr Andrews said at the time, “but too often and for too many, it's financially out of reach.”
Anyone who has undergone IVF or is considering fertility treatment and done the sums knows that’s the truth.
During one of the many medical appointments I attended as part of my IVF treatment, I came across a woman who was quietly sobbing – but it wasn’t because of the emotional stress of the multiple failed attempts to become pregnant, or the cocktail of hormones she’d been taking for months to try to make that happen. The reason, she told me, was that IVF had exhausted the family’s savings, and this was her last round before the money ran out.
She was being comforted in that waiting room by another woman who understood, she said, because she felt overwhelmed by guilt every time she raised the subject of doing another round of IVF. The family hadn’t been on holiday for two years and were struggling to pay the mortgage.
I recognised their pain and fear. As a single woman who had chosen to become a mum via IVF and using a donor, I had only been able to pursue it because my father had died and left me a small inheritance.
In Australia, the average out-of-pocket costs of a single IVF cycle ranges from around $3400 to $4400, depending on the individual treatment requirements.
Given that many women require several cycles before becoming pregnant, this amount can put a significant dent in anyone’s budget: if you need more than a few cycles, it can be prohibitive.
Victoria’s Public Fertility Care program has been designed with the aim of making access to IVF and other fertility services fairer and more affordable for people who currently have limited access to private services.
These include:
low-income earners
Victorians living in rural and regional areas
people who need donor services or altruistic surrogacy support, such as LGBTIQA+ and single people
people who need fertility preservation due to medical treatment, such as those with cancer or undergoing gender reassignment treatment
people who need genetic testing because they are known carriers of medical conditions that may pose a threat to the life of their child.
The public fertility care has been designed to support up to 5,000 Victorians a year, saving them an average of $10,000 annually.
Services include:
intrauterine insemination, IVF and intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment cycles
less invasive fertility treatments prior to IVF or ICSI treatment
pre-treatment testing, counselling and fertility information
donor services, supported by the establishment of Australia’s first public egg and sperm bank
altruistic surrogacy support
fertility preservation where medical treatment may compromise fertility, including cancer treatment and gender reassignment treatment
genetic testing for people who are known carriers of serious medical conditions.
To access public fertility care, a woman needs a referral from their GP or relevant specialist and will be placed on a waiting list for an initial appointment with a fertility specialist.
The cost of the public hospital services provided will be free for most women, although some patients may incur out-of-pocket costs for medication, diagnostics and/or specialised tests.
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