IVF to resume after government backtracks on cancellations

Victoria’s Minister for Women has opened up about her IVF journey as it was announced treatment will resume after the cancellation of procedures sparked fury.

IVF procedures will resume after women voiced fears they could miss out on having children.

The state government announced on Thursday that, following advice from chief health officer Brett Sutton, procedures could start again as early as Thursday.

Mr Sutton’s advice was that the specialist nature of staff and equipment used for IVF did not affect the pandemic response.

Hospitals will scale up operations with procedures to resume by Wednesday.

Victoria’s Minister for Women Gabrielle Williams opened up about her own IVF journey after the announcement.

Minister for Women Gabrielle Williams has spoken about her own IVF journey. Picture: James Ross

“Know only too well the distress caused by delays to IVF services,” she wrote on Twitter.

“I’ve been undergoing assisted reproductive treatments for over five years — so far without success. And as the weeks and months march on, it only gets harder.

“The window of opportunity gets smaller. Success rates decline. And you steel yourself for the day you might have to concede that the journey is over, and in doing so reimagine your whole life to fit a new and unwelcome reality.

“It’s an awful feeling.”

Ms Williams said she was pleased to see services resume and that it would mean a lot to thousands of Victorians who need IVF services.

“Striking the right balance in such uncertain times is no easy task, especially in matters of life and death,” she said.

“It’s a job we and the public health team take seriously and no decision is taken lightly.

“Thank you to all those who have advocated for the continuation of IVF services and shared your deeply personal stories in order to build understanding.

“My story sits alongside yours.”

“While our journeys have their own unique twists and turns, most of us on this path share the same heartache and, importantly, hope.

“Good luck, and I hope today’s announcement makes it all that little bit easier.”

Melanie Swieconeck breaks down in an emotional plea to health authorities.

‘OVER THE MOON’

IVF patient Melanie Swieconek, who posted an emotional video on social media earlier in the week about her treatment being cancelled, said she was “over the moon”.

She said the government had to ensure it would not happen again.

“The mental toll that it takes on the women and their partners and families is too much,” Ms Swieconek said.

“IVF is already difficult anyway but to have it dangled in front of you and taken away at the last minute ... this is the third time it’s happened and it cannot happen again.”

Acting Minister for Health James Merlino said he was deeply sorry for the distress the pause had caused.

“IVF is a challenging journey for anyone to go through, let alone in the midst of a global pandemic, and we’re deeply sorry for the distress caused by affected services in recent week,” he said.

“We thank Victorians for their patience as we’ve worked through critical workforce issues, and we’ll keep working to have other services restored as soon as we can.”

Premier Daniel Andrews says the government is working hard to get day procedures back on track. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

‘IT’S NOT ELECTIVE’

Number One Fertility medical director Lynn Burmeister said she was “so relieved” IVF could return but “it should have always been there”.

She said the state government should have consulted industry experts before closing down treatment.

“It’s not elective, it’s separate and should never have been put on the agenda to stop — ever,” Dr Burmeister said.

“Hopefully they make a decision to leave IVF alone in future and make better plans because this virus isn’t going to go away and they need better plans than shutting us.”

Confirmation of cancelled treatments was sent to patients on Monday, leaving them in the dark until at least mid-April.

IVF was included in a slew of elective surgeries put off to divert resources to Covid-related healthcare.

The move comes after Premier Daniel Andrews apologised, saying he understood it was deeply distressing for those affected.

“It’s a very, very challenging journey for anyone to go through,” he said.

“It’s made even more difficult in the midst of a global pandemic.

“I’m sorry that these services have been impacted by the global pandemic, I’m sorry that any services across the board have been impacted.

“I want to assure everyone who’s impacted by this, that we’re working as hard as we can to get day procedures back up and running.”

Earlier, Scott Morrison said IVF treatments should be allowed to continue in Victoria.

On Wednesday, the Prime Minister said people did not choose to have fertility services and said national cabinet agreed early in the pandemic that IVF treatments were not elective procedures.

“There is no choice involved in fertility treatments,” Mr Morrison said.

“It’s not an elective procedure in my view that should be subject to these things.

“This is a decision of the Victorian government and I appreciate the extreme pressure that their hospital system is under.”

He said IVF treatments should continue wherever possible, adding that cancelling them should be “such a last resort measure”.

‘KICK IN THE GUTS’

PR boss Angela Ceberano, 39, was one of the women who received confirmation of her treatment being cancelled.

Mrs Ceberano and musician husband Phil – the brother of singer Kate Ceberano – said the message felt like a “kick in the guts”.

Angela and Phil Ceberano may begin treatment overseas to get around a halt in IVF in Victoria. Picture: David Caird

She said the cancellation was guided by “ignorance and not understanding exactly what people with IVF go through”.

“It must be an oversight because it really makes no sense to anyone in the IVF community,” Mrs Ceberano said.

The couple, who are on holiday in the US, were considering staying there and trying to begin their IVF cycle – due in two weeks – overseas.

“For someone who is 39 and being told they have to wait three months, every month is critical,” she said.

“It takes a woman’s body three months to prepare for IVF, so once they stop for three months it’s going to be more like six months.”

She said she was not aware of any of the doctors or nurses she has dealt with having been diverted to Covid-related healthcare.

Mrs Ceberano was last year caught up in a bungle at Monash IVF when she was wrongly told her embryos were abnormal and had been destroyed.