Amid the prevalence of infertility and the growing commonality of fertility treatment, 4 in 5 Australians want more fertility education, according to a new report.
Infertility affects about 1 in 6 Australian couples in reproductive age and is just as likely to impact females or males.
There are many causes of infertility, such as low sperm count for males and blocked fallopian tubes in females or underlying causes including endometriosis for females and testicular problems in males.
Women’s healthcare company, Organon, has today released the Australian Fertility Report, revealing gaps in fertility knowledge among Australian women, particularly in relation to what they can do to improve the chance of having children.
The report notes that although women are aware of a variety of fertility treatments, there’s still a lack of fertility awareness in relation to their own bodies.
Drawing on findings from a new national survey commissioned by Organon of 2,044 women aged between 18-45 years in Australia, the report found that only 16 per cent of these women accessed fertility treatment despite one quarter of them currently having trouble conceiving.
And only 11 per cent of all women surveyed have accessed fertility treatment, while most (71 per cent) surveyed are aware of different types of treatment, including IVF and egg freezing.
Women who have had trouble conceiving but have not accessed fertility treatments state that the reasons are concerns over the potential personal and emotional toll of the procedure (73 per cent), and concerns about the success rate of treatments (70 per cent).
Another key factor affecting women accessing fertility treatment is affordability (81 per cent), despite some treatments being subsidised through Medicare or covered by private health insurance.
Experts have also suggested there’s a lack of understanding of how and when to start exploring fertility treatments.
“People often don’t think about fertility until it becomes an issue. That is why there is a need for education through a more holistic life course approach to reproductive health, including family building, to reduce difficulty conceiving and to help Australians achieve their desired family-building intentions,” said the Head and Professor of the Discipline of Obstetrics & Gynecology in the School of Women’s & Children’s Health, Professor Bill Ledger.
The report also showed that most women understand endometriosis (90 per cent) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) (88 per cent) are major health issues women should talk to their doctors about before trying to fall pregnant.
Sydney-based woman Teniele Spicer, who is expecting her first child, said she had always planned to have children, but a diagnosis of Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) meant she started her fertility journey earlier than planned.
“If it wasn’t for the conversations I had with my GP at 18-years-old that led to my diagnosis of PCOS, I doubt I would have started thinking about my fertility options until much later, which would have left me scrambling to start my fertility journey when I should have already started,” said Spicer.
“Conversations between Australians that want to have children and their GPs need to begin early. As in my case, with knowledge comes power, and with a largely supportive public system, we actually do have the power to act early on fertility.”
Managing Director of Organon ANZ, Nirelle Tolstoshev said the Australian Fertility Report findings “demonstrate the need for fertility-awareness education to be at the top of the agenda to enable Australians to have children if and when they want to”.
Listen to Women’s Agenda’s own fertility podcast, Fertility Unfiltered here.