Neighbours star shares IVF struggle, urges government aid

A former television soap star and his wife have opened up about their personal battle for the first time.

A former television soap star has gone public about his very personal struggle.

Takaya Honda and his wife Amy had been trying to have a baby for two years when Amy was told she had less than a 1 per cent chance of falling pregnant.

It was a devastating blow to the then 34-year-old and her husband Takaya, who once played Dr David Tanaka on Neighbours.

The couple felt lulled into a false sense of security after initially being assured by experts that “everything looked fine”.

But as the agonisingly empty months rolled by, Ms Honda was eventually advised to investigate the issue further.

The Honda’s were initially told everything looked 'fine', and to “take a holiday” in order to conceive a baby. Picture: Supplied.

In May last year she underwent a routine laparoscopic keyhole surgery, typically used to identify if endometriosis is present and to flush saline solution through the fallopian tubes to check for blockages.

“It was never an ‘if’ I wanted kids — I had always had the dream of having two,” Ms Honda said.

“I just couldn’t understand why it wasn’t working for us.”

Ms Honda was shocked to wake up after the surgery to be told she would have a slim to zero chance of conceiving a child naturally.

“I woke up, she [the specialist] said, the good news is you don’t have any endometriosis. But the bad news is your tubes are fully blocked,” Ms Honda said.

Takaya and Amy have spent more then $20,000 dollars on IVF cycles, as they try to conceive their first child. Picture: Supplied

“Being told initially that everything looked fine to then being told you could never fall pregnant naturally. I just burst into tears”.

The couple was told their only option now was to go through In vitro fertilisation (IVF).

With the added stress of “getting older” bearing down on her, Ms Honda wanted to start IVF cycles immediately.

“I assumed everything would be fine … when I wanted to have a baby, I could have a baby”, she said.

“You don’t really think about fertility issues or egg count or anything like that.”

The couple started their first round of IVF in July last year which was “not a success”, leaving Ms Honda feeling “angry” and with an “extreme” pressure to conceive in future rounds.

Former Soap opera star Takaya Honda with his wife Amy on their wedding day. Picture: Supplied

The average cost of IVF treatment can be upwards of $10 thousand dollars per cycle. Picture: Supplied.

“There’s a misconception that it’s a one and done type thing, because you’re using science,” Mr Honda said.

“It was difficult and frustrating. I felt oblivious to the knowledge of my own body,” Ms Honda said.

According to IVF Australia, you could be spending upwards of $30,000 per cycle.

The average Australian earns a net income of just over $68,000, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which means many Aussies struggle to meet these costs.

The Hondas are now heading into their fifth round of IVF.

“We’ve spent about $25,000 so far,” Mr Honda said.

Each round has cost about $9000, out of pocket. Some of the cost is subsidised by Medicare because Ms Honda was diagnosed with blocked fallopian tubes.

The couple agreed the cost adds “unnecessary pressure”, at a time when “you’re already feeling stressed”.

“Everyone is telling you to not stress,” said the soap actor.

“The price adds to the pressure. I mean, there’s so much pressure already in the process.

“Everything you do, every day, you are constantly assessing if that’s helping the process or not,” said the former Neighbours actor.

Takaya Honda also stared in other popular Aussie shows, The Family Law and Play School. Picture: Supplied

Ms Honda said she feels “a lot of pressure” because it’s “my body that has to do everything”.

“It caused a lot of fear for future rounds, if we don’t get any embryos, there’s no chance of having kids, it’s so overwhelming,” she said.

“When the results aren’t going well, it’s hard not to beat yourself up about it or get frustrated as to why you can’t do better, especially when it is so expensive.”

Describing themselves as a “frugal people”, the Honda’s agreed they feel fortunate to have savings to draw on for IVF treatment, while they understand not everyone is in the same situation.

“We’re both frugal people, so we are fortunate that we have savings, but not everyone does” she said.

“You just don’t understand what it’s like until you’ve gone through IVF,” Ms Hondas said.

“It’s a lot of money and people do it for years. So to sustain that it’s pretty tough, especially if you’re not getting results at the end,” Mr Hondas said.

Takaya Honda (L) fondly remembers the storyline of being a foster care father on Neighbours, directed by Deborra-Lee Furness . Picture: Supplied

In British Columbia (BC), Canada, change is already under way, with the announcement from British Columbia Finance Minister Katrine Conroy that access to one IVF cycle will be available to “all who wish to start a family”.

“Everyone who wants to have a child should have the opportunity to do so, however, infertility and other barriers pose challenges. IVF is one option but it can be expensive,” she said.

From April next year, one cycle of IVF will be free in BC as the province commits to $68 million dollars over the fiscal year to implement the program.

British Columbia Finance Minister, Katrine Conroy (C) who introduced the changes to the 2025 budget, allowing one free round of IVF to anyone who wants to start a family. Picture: Facebook

A spokesperson from the Australian Government’s Department of Health and Aged Care Department said: “Some states and territories such as NSW and Victoria have recently introduced public programs supporting patients to access IVF treatments.

“The government also assists patients with out-of-pocket costs through a number of Medicare safety nets.”

When asked how Australia’s assistance to IVF compared to the recent change BC have implemented, the Honda’s were in favour of the Australian government considering a similar one-time offer.

“We wish we did have access to something where you didn’t feel like you had to have a certain amount of money to begin with,” said Mr Honda.

Ms Honda has spoken with many other women in similar situations to her - all warned from IVF specialists “not to expect a lot from the first round” of IVF.

“It’s like a trial round. It’s more about seeing how your body reacts to the medicine and the treatment and a lot of the time people don’t get great results,” Ms Honda said.