IVF has been a life-changing treatment for many couples struggling to conceive, and now Victorians will have access to the state’s first IVF clinic. The new clinic, which is set to open in Melbourne on Tuesday, will offer a range of services including IVF, IUI, and fertility testing.
The clinic will provide free fertility treatment to those struggling to get pregnant, making it the country’s first.
4000 people trying to have a baby per year will be able to receive services from the clinic, which will be run by the Royal Women’s Hospital and Monash Health.
For couples who have been trying to conceive without success, IVF can be a ray of hope. The treatment involves retrieving eggs from the woman and fertilising them with the man’s sperm in a laboratory. The resulting embryos are then implanted into the woman’s womb, with the hope that one will successfully implant and grow into a baby.
While IVF success rates vary, the chance of a baby being born from a single cycle of IVF is around 35% for women under 35. For women over 40, the success rate is lower, at around 10-15%.
While IVF treatment can be expensive, with a single cycle often costing around $10,000, the new clinic will be a boon for many couples who want to have a baby.
The move has been described by Daniel Andrews as a game-changer.
“While the treatment can provide an opportunity for those struggling to conceive, it is often financially out of reach for many people. Surely, the IVF is a game-changer,” said Mr. Andrews.
“This is an important step in providing couples who need treatment with timely, high-quality, and affordable care.”
The Andrews government has allocated $70 million to the clinic from the 2021 budget as a promise from the 2018 election.
