Australians misinformed regarding fertility

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDMar 26 2012

According to a latest survey many Australians do not know what age their fertility starts to decline. Experts warn both men and women could be “dangerously optimistic” about their chances of conceiving - and IVF is too often viewed as a “silver bullet”.

Researchers from the Fertility Coalition questioned 462 men and women and found only 20 per cent of men could name the age when a woman's ability to conceive starts to decrease. A woman's chance of having a baby begins to diminish in their early 30s and drops dramatically in their late 30s.

Coalition spokesman Professor Rob Norman says some men also did not realize their fertility starts to drop between the ages of 40 and 45. “Men seem to think their fertility is eternal,” he said. “We do know that as a man gets older that their fertility drops off and also the chance of some abnormalities in their babies increase as well.” Less than 10 per cent of Australians know a man's fertility declines after 45.

Professor Norman says many people are simply misinformed. “We understand that for financial, economic and educational reasons people often have to wait much later now than they used to,” he said. “They should have a choice and the choice should be based on appropriate knowledge.” In 2009, 14 per cent of Australian mothers who gave birth were 35 or older, compared with 10 per cent in 2000. The median age of new fathers in Australia in 2010 was 33.

“It's not just for women that age matters, it's also important for men,” Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority spokeswoman Louise Johnson said. “There is a bit of a myth that IVF will be able to offer a solution, but the truth is success of IVF also declines with age.” She said the age of a man influenced the quality of the sperm and the DNA.

The new campaign, Your Fertility, aims to inform people who want children to make lifestyle choices to help them conceive healthy babies. A Your Fertility website will be launched today (Monday).

The Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority (VARTA), Andrology Australia, Jean Hailes for Women's Health and the University of Adelaide's Robinson Institute are behind the campaign.