Fiona Martin (Reid, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on behalf of the issue raised by the member for Ryan and the importance of IVF in Australia. Like many of my colleagues I have a number of children—four, in fact. I remember when I fell pregnant to my eldest daughter, Sophia, in 2005 and how exciting that was and how easy that was for us. Becoming a parent is a dream for so many Australians. But, for a significant number, it is not always an easy journey, with one in six Australian families facing difficulty when trying to start a family. I would like to acknowledge all those Australians who are currently experiencing difficulty with fertility and how difficult that is.

Infertility is caused by a range of factors. Technically, it is a condition where you cannot fall pregnant after trying for one year. In women, infertility is brought on by difficulties with ovulation. But there are many factors, including the age of the parents; tubal disease or problems with fallopian tubes and ovulation disorders. Endometriosis is commonly associated with infertility as are polycystic ovarian syndrome, fibroids and other inflammatory diseases caused by sexually transmitted diseases. In men, fertility problems may be associated with low sperm count or low testosterone. In vitro fertilisation is more than just a process of fertilisation; it gives people hope and the opportunity to become a parent. Without this assistance, they wouldn't be able to become a parent. I'm very proud to support the motion put forward by the member for Ryan and acknowledge all those Australian families who are experiencing infertility.

Everyone knows somebody who has experienced infertility. In my family, my aunt and uncle tried for a decade and went through many miscarriages as a consequence. As a psychologist, I have come across many families who have experienced infertility. I have seen the shame and the guilt associated with infertility. I've also seen the grief in families, individuals and couples following having experienced recurrent miscarriages. The loss of life is always very, very difficult for people to go through. This impacts on people's relationships and mental health.

The world's first IVF pregnancy was reported in 1973. The first IVF baby in Australia, which was the world's third IVF baby, was born in 1980 under the supervision of the team of doctors at Monash University. Following this, the team at Monash established a further 14 pregnancies, resulting in nine live births before the end of 1981. Since then, science and technology has progressed significantly. I'd like to acknowledge our scientists in Australia, the incredible work that our fertility doctors do in this space and how important science and technology is to the future of our country. In 2018 in Australia just under 15,000 babies were born to IVF. The technology is robust and incredible, and so many babies and families have benefited from this technology ever since its inception.

Our government is committed to helping families, and in February this year the YourIVFSuccess website was successfully launched. The website provides an individual IVF success estimator tool, allowing individuals to estimate their chances of IVF success through the input of individual characteristics and IVF history. It currently allows women to enter their individual characteristics, including how many IVF cycles they have undergone and whether they are using a fresh or frozen embryo, to estimate their chances of becoming pregnant. But the creation of new life is not a woman's journey alone, and a further stage of the project will also allow men to estimate their chances of IVF success through the same website. The website also provides independent and impartial information about nearly all fertility clinics in Australia, including the clinic success rates, to help couples in their decision-making. This excellent initiative is possible in part through a $4.6 million Medical Research Future Fund grant to the University of New South Wales.

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