IVF stands for In Vitro Fertilisation, a type of assisted reproductive technology (sometimes called ART) where an egg is fertilised by sperm outside of the body, in a laboratory dish, and then implanted for gestation.

The cost of a full IVF cycle starts at $10,000 and can run up to $14,000. The good news is that Medicare rebates are available, which can offset the cost. With the Medicare rebate, out-of-pocket expenses are likely to be $4,000-$7,500. If this is out of reach, then there are a number of avenues to explore, including clinics that offer bulk-billing, state-specific additional rebates, and coverage under private insurance.

A Medicare rebate is available for IVF, which can cover as much as half the total cost. This includes expenses like blood tests, ultrasounds, laboratory costs, egg retrieval, and embryo transfers. However, some costs, like cryopreservation, and certain diagnostic genetic tests, aren't covered by Medicare. To access these benefits, you’ll need a referral from your GP.

Additionally, some clinics offer bulk-billing, and those in NSW can access the Fertility Rebate-2, which grants an additional $2,000 to those undergoing fertility treatments.

In Australia, gender selection is only permitted for medical reasons, meaning to avoid passing on specific conditions. For example, if parents are likely to pass on genetic conditions like haemophilia or muscular dystrophy (which primarily affect males) then they may be given the option to choose a female embryo through pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. A non-medical preference for male or female will not be taken into consideration.

The entire process, including ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval, fertilisation and embryo culture, embryo transfer, and a blood test 10-14 days later to check for the presence of the pregnancy hormone, can take around 4-6 weeks. However, for many people, it takes multiple cycles.

On average, the success rate for the first cycle of IVF is about 40% for women under

Many undergo 2-3 cycles to achieve pregnancy, and after two cycles, the cumulative success rate can be up to 91%.

For women over 40, IVF may take multiple cycles and can be more challenging, with success rates falling to around 8-10% per cycle. Again, the cumulative success rate rises after multiple rounds.

You can use YourIVFSuccess, a site funded by the Australian Government, to find independent success rates for all accredited IVF clinics in Australia. When weighing up clinics, you should look at some key metrics, including live birth rate per complete egg retrieval cycle (which indicates the percentage of egg retrievals that result in a live birth), and live birth rate per embryo transfer (which shows the success rate of transferring an embryo leading to a live birth. You should also consider factors that influence those metrics, like if the clinic treats a disproportionately high number of complex cases.

Since being established in 2024, Minerva Fertility Clinic has reported some promising early data, including a 75.9% clinical pregnancy rate for PGT-A tested embryos created in-house, which is above the national average.