Fertility health is closely linked to your overall health and wellbeing. This may include:
If you are concerned about your fertility, it is best to start with a visit to your GP. Your doctor can perform tests and advise you on practical ways to increase your chances of conceiving naturally. For more information, go to Thinking of having a baby.
Individuals or couples may experience infertility for different reasons and may require extra support to become pregnant. Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) treatments are widely available in NSW for this purpose.
Assisted reproductive technology are treatments or procedures that address infertility. ART can include artificial insemination, in-vitro fertilisation or gamete intrafallopian transfer as well as any other related treatments or procedures. NSW Health maintains a list of currently registered ART providers in NSW.
IVF treatment can be costly and intensive. There are independent resources such as the Australian Government-funded YourIVFSuccess Estimator that can help you to decide if IVF treatment is appropriate for you.
NSW Health supports access to affordable fertility treatments under the NSW Affordable IVF Initiative. The Initiative includes:
You can receive $250 to reduce out-of-pocket costs of pre-IVF fertility testing. To claim, you must have incurred out-of-pocket expenses from 30 September 2019 for one or more of the following tests:
Fertility testing includes tests for anyone of any gender: however, only the person seeking to become pregnant can lodge the claim through Service NSW for the rebate. This ensures only one applicant from the partnership seeking to have a child can claim the rebate.
NSW residents can claim the rebate regardless of where in Australia they received the fertility test. Both GPs and specialists can order tests but only specialists can confirm eligibility for the rebate.
A person can only receive the rebate once, either for their own testing, and/or for testing required for their partner or gamete donor. The receipt provided when claiming the rebate must show the out-of-pocket cost incurred and the eligible test.
Before you apply, ask your fertility specialist to:
You must provide one receipt of an eligible test as proof of your expenses.
To claim the rebate:
If your application is approved, the rebate will be transferred into your nominated bank account within 28 working days. For information on the status or outcome of your claim, contact Service NSW on 13 77 88 Monday to Friday between 7am and 7pm (Sydney time).
NSW residents can claim the rebate regardless of where their specialist is based. If the specialist is located outside NSW they may not be on Service NSW's specialist list in the online application. If this happens, please contact Service NSW to provide your specialist's name, location of practice and Australian Health Practitioner Registration Agency (Ahpra) registration number. Service NSW will verify your provider and add them to the specialist list if eligible.
Please visit the Service NSW Pre-IVF Fertility Testing Rebate page for more information on how to apply for the rebate. You can also call Service NSW on 13 77 88 Monday to Friday between 7am and 7pm (Sydney time).
The $2,000 Fertility Treatment Rebate-2 is available to eligible patients to reduce out-of-pocket costs associated with Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) treatment. This includes artificial insemination, in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), gamete intrafallopian transfer and any related treatment or procedure that is outlined in the Fertility Treatment Rebate-2 - Terms and Conditions .
NSW Health acknowledges that people may receive fertility treatment but may not identify as women. To be eligible for the rebate, the person seeking to be pregnant must lodge the claim.
You are eligible for the rebate if you:
The rebate is not available to patients with the following costs:
The chosen ART Provider must be accredited to carry out ART treatment by the Reproductive Treatment Accreditation Committee (RTAC) of the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Society of Australia, or by another equivalent accreditation body approved in writing by the NSW Ministry of Health.
Before you apply, ask your ART Provider to:
You must provide at least one receipt of an eligible fertility treatment as proof of your expenses.
NSW Health funds three publicly supported clinics to deliver lower-cost IVF treatment to eligible patients. The sites of the publicly supported clinics are:
More details are available on their websites.
Medicare rebates remain available to patients to further reduce the cost of treatment. For further information about what Medicare offers visit Medicare services for conceiving pregnancy and birth.
The risk of infertility is a concern for many people undergoing medical treatment for a serious or life-threatening condition that may affect future fertility.
NSW Health provides funding to the Westmead Fertility Centre linked with Westmead Hospital, owned by the University of Sydney, and the Fertility and Research Centre at the Royal Hospital for Women in partnership with the University of NSW, to provide subsidised fertility preservation procedures to eligible patients. Eligible procedures are sperm cryopreservation, ovarian tissue cryopreservation, oocyte cryopreservation and embryo cryopreservation.
If you have been recently diagnosed with cancer or a medical condition that may affect your fertility, you can discuss with your treating clinician whether you should be referred for fertility preservation. This may include a referral to the Royal Hospital for Women, Fertility and Research Centre, the Westmead Fertility Centre or another service of your choice.
The NSW Affordable IVF Initiative can be accessed by anyone who is eligible, regardless of where they live in NSW.
You may be able to access certain fertility tests and receive ART monitoring closer to your home, depending on the advice of your clinician. When your body is ready to start treatment, you may be required to travel to a major city to have ART procedures (e.g. embryo transfer). Talk to your service to discuss your options.
If you are based in a regional or remote location and travel more than 100km one way or 200km within a week for specialised medical treatment, you may be eligible for assistance for specialist treatment under the Isolated Patient Travel and Accommodation Scheme (IPTAAS).
For more information, visit Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme (IPTAAS).