Trust a website on IVF? It’s conceivable

A government-funded website that allows would-be parents to compare fertility clinic success rates has been launched.

Laura Smith with nine-month-old Hunter at home in Sydney’s inner west. Picture: John Feder

Growing calls for transparency around the costly and confusing IVF process have been answered with the launch of a government-funded website that allows would-be parents to compare fertility clinic success rates.

For the first time, couples will have the chance to predict their chance of having a baby by entering their age and medical details into the YourIVFSuccess website.

“It allows people to access information based on real-world statistical information collected from patients who have undergone IVF treatment,” Health Minister Greg Hunt said.

The website provides impartial information from accredited fertility clinics to help the one in six couples who face difficulty conceiving.

The site was developed by the National Perinatal Epidemiology Statistics Unit at the University of NSW.

It compares 85 clinics’ success rates across four measures that are benchmarked against national averages.

The four indicators, stratified by age, were formed to eliminate the likelihood of clinics appearing to rank higher by selecting younger, uncomplicated patients or transferring multiple embryos in one cycle — which carries significant health risks for mothers and babies — to boost their birthrate.

“Before this website came out there have been debates about how much variability in the success rates come down to the scientific processes used by each clinic,” associate professor Mark Bowman, a member of the working group behind the website, said.

Laura Smith, 33, from Camperdown in Sydney’s inner west, is the proud mother of nine-month-old Hunter after undergoing IVF at a Genea fertility clinic.

Ms Smith, who has polycystic ovarian syndrome, said she wished the YourIVFSuccess website was available when she began her journey with her husband Ben a few years ago. “I had no idea where to start with IVF. I tried to do research and, while I had multiple clinics come up, you never know which one is reputable and effective,” she said.

Ms Smith said she will be returning to Genea shortly to start the process of having a second child.