Australia’s first ever public egg and sperm bank will give more Victorians the chance to start a family through access to donor eggs and sperm.
The public egg and sperm bank opened on 3 July 2023 at the Royal Women’s Hospital, and is now accepting egg and sperm donations from the Victorian community.
Featuring state-of-the-art laboratory facilities and staffed with highly qualified fertility experts, the egg and sperm bank is the first of its kind in Australia.
The service is currently focused on recruiting donors. Eligible Victorians seeking to access Victoria’s public fertility care service – including the use of donated eggs or sperm – will need to be referred by their GP or specialist.
The bank will accept altruistic donations from Victorians who meet certain criteria and want to give someone the chance at starting a family.
It forms part of the Victorian Government’s landmark initiative to establish a public fertility care service – making it fairer, easier and more accessible for hopeful parents to start a family of their own.
The initiative is making the joy of starting a family a reality for single parents, couples with fertility challenges and LGBTIQA+ families – as well as supporting Victorians currently undergoing treatment for medical conditions that compromise fertility, like cancer, to freeze their eggs or sperm.
Victoria’s public fertility care program is being co-led by the Royal Women’s Hospital and Monash Health and offers a range of services, including in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatments, fertility consultations, diagnostic tests and procedures, ultrasounds, counselling, information and support.
A number of partner health services are also being established across the state to help people access fertility care closer to home.
Once fully operational, this almost $120 million program will help up to 5,000 Victorians every year to start a family, helping them save up to $10,000. Since launching in October 2022, more than 550 Victorians have already commenced their IVF journey.
For more information on the public egg and sperm bank and becoming a donor, visit the Better Health
Reviewed 21 December 2023