Surge in couples seeking IVF on a budget

It’s no secret IVF can be painfully expensive. Now a new option is available for Queensland couples seeking a more budget-friendly option.

Hundreds of Queensland couples are seeking out budget IVF every year as doctors say the chance to have a baby should not be restricted to people in well-off postcodes.

The low-cost treatments mean that a couple can have one round of IVF for $2085, a fraction of the $9000 quoted in some full-service clinics.

Last year First Step Fertility, the budget branch of City Fertility, saw a 203 per cent growth in IVF cycles from 2019 to 2021.

“Many couples have told me that they would have had to give up their dream of having a child if more affordable fertility treatments had not been on offer,” Dr Neil Astill, from FSF in Logan, said.

Lola was the first baby born at the Logan clinic. Picture: Racheal Smith Photography

“The clinics offer straightforward IVF. They cannot treat a woman with endometriosis or other fertility problems like this. They can’t do biopsies, surrogacy or donor conception. But for those that are treated, the success rates of having a baby are comparable to the full service clinics,” he said.

There are eight of the clinics nationally at North Lakes, Springfield, Logan in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Lismore, Toowoomba, and Liverpool in Sydney.

Dr Astill said patients may be treated by nurses at some appointments and may not see the same doctor throughout the process.

Chelsea and Paul Bugg welcomed their daughter Lola two weeks ago — she was the first baby born at the Logan clinic.

“Paul and I had been trying for two years to have a baby and we had no luck getting pregnant. There was no medical problem it just didn’t happen. We eventually looked into IVF and we were told that one round would cost $9000. There was a good chance one round wouldn’t be enough. I had the awful feeling that the hefty cost would mean we would have to give up on our dream of having a baby together,” Chelsea said.

Paul already has two lovely boys Reece and Ryley. They had another brother Ashton who sadly died at 27 weeks gestation.

Chelsea and Paul Bugg with Reece, 15, Ryley, 18, and baby Lola. Picture: Racheal Smith Photography

“I found out about the Logan clinic by accident and when I heard the costs were a fraction of what we had been quoted we were delighted. I’m not going to lie I was a little but scared about ‘going budget’ in something this important but I couldn’t have been happier. The staff were with us every step and are still following up two weeks after the birth.” Chelsea said.

The couple now have four eggs in storage if they decided to expand their family further.

“Lola is an amazing gift. No couple should have to give up on having a child because of high treatment costs,” she said.