Tuesday, 05 December 2023
KaitaiaWhangareiDargavilleAucklandThamesTaurangaHamiltonWhakataneRotoruaTokoroaTe KuitiTaumarunuiTaupoGisborneNew PlymouthNapierHastingsDannevirkeWhanganuiPalmerston NorthLevinParaparaumuMastertonWellingtonMotuekaNelsonBlenheimWestportReeftonKaikouraGreymouthHokitikaChristchurchAshburtonTimaruWanakaOamaruQueenstownDunedinGoreInvercargill
NZ HeraldThe Northern AdvocateThe Northland AgeThe AucklanderWaikato HeraldBay Of Plenty TimesRotorua Daily PostHawke's Bay TodayWhanganui ChronicleThe Stratford PressManawatu GuardianKapiti NewsHorowhenua ChronicleTe Awamutu CourierVivaEat WellOneRoofDRIVEN Car GuideThe CountryPhoto SalesiHeart RadioRestaurant Hub
Voyager 2023 media awards
Subscribe

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.
Home / Lifestyle

Woman denied IVF funding as she turns 40 before application processed

NZ Herald
17 Feb, 2018 11:14 PM3 mins to read
Saveshare

Share this article

facebookcopy linktwitterlinkedinredditemail
Tracie Jelavich and fiance Wayne Matheson hope to have a baby. Photo / Supplied

Tracie Jelavich and fiance Wayne Matheson hope to have a baby. Photo / Supplied

An Auckland woman was turned down for publicly-funded IVF treatment as she turned 40 by the time her application was considered.

Tracie Jelavich had applied for treatment at age 39, six months after meeting her now-fiance, Wayne Matheson.

The cut-off for Government-funded IVF treatment is age 40.

Jelavic knew she would have fertility issues but only met Matheson 18 months ago.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

The couple's friend has turned to Givealittle for them in an attempt to help them "create a little miracle".

Arwin Adams, who has known Jelavich for 25 years, said the couple needed $12,000 for one round of IVF.

"She and her fiance have been denied public funding for IVF due to her age even though at the time of their application she was within the accepted range. This seems to be completely unfair to me.

"I wholeheartedly believe that she absolutely deserves the chance to be a mum and to deny this seems like the cruelest act."

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Adams said she would have helped Jelavich herself with donor eggs or surrogacy but had had her own fertility issues, having concieved her own "miracle little girl" via IVF.

"This is the best way I can think to help.

"Even though my friend is the kind of person to generally have at least one job, sometimes two or three, she and her fiance just can't afford the $12,000 price tag.

"They will try to save this up but realistically her chances of success will probably drop considerably by the time that they can save that amount of money."

Related articles

Lifestyle

Jesse Mulligan: Joy and sorrow of baby stories

03 Mar 04:00 PM

She said Jelavich would make an amazing mother.

"She has faced many challenges in life and yet is one of the happiest, toughest and most positive bubbly people I know.

"The love and support she has given her family over the years has been phenomenal and she currently helps young girls as a [Girl} Guide leader. She has so much boundless love to give.

"She would be one of the most amazing, loving, caring, super fun, generous and supportive mothers the world has even seen. The children she brings into the world would be such wonderful people and you can never have too many of them."

As well as age, to be eligible for publicly-funded treatment, women must be a non-smokers, a New Zealand resident, have a body mass index of under 32, and have experienced at least a year of infertility.

Success rates for fertility treatments decline with age and reduce quickly after 40.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

If a woman is aged 30, a couple has a 47 per cent chance of a baby from one IVF cycle.

If the woman is aged 40, this drops to 23 per cent and less than 10 per cent for women aged over 42, Fertility NZ reported.

Although women aged over 40 can pay for IVF privately.

Infertility is defined as not conceiving after 12 months of trying.

The trend is rising - five years ago, one in six women experienced problems, support organisation Fertility NZ figures show.

In New Zealand, there are about 5000 first-time fertility clinic appointments every year.

In 1970, the median age a woman had her first child was 23, in 2016 it was 29, Statistics NZ reported.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.
Saveshare

Share this article

facebookcopy linktwitterlinkedinredditemail

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

Lifestyle

Thirsty gran! Woman celebrates 101st birthday with X-rated surprise

05 Dec 06:55 AM
Lifestyle

Watch: Escaped kangaroo in Canada punches police officer in face

05 Dec 04:10 AM
Lifestyle

Kiwi woman banned from Bunnings after X-rated stunt

05 Dec 01:14 AM
Lifestyle

What is rizz? How Tom Holland catapulted the word to fame

04 Dec 11:53 PM

How NZ’s most successful sailor keeps his cool

sponsored

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

Thirsty gran! Woman celebrates 101st birthday with X-rated surprise

Thirsty gran! Woman celebrates 101st birthday with X-rated surprise

05 Dec 06:55 AM

She didn't ask for much for her 101st birthday but the nursing home had other saucy ideas.

Watch: Escaped kangaroo in Canada punches police officer in face

Watch: Escaped kangaroo in Canada punches police officer in face

05 Dec 04:10 AM
Kiwi woman banned from Bunnings after X-rated stunt

Kiwi woman banned from Bunnings after X-rated stunt

05 Dec 01:14 AM
What is rizz? How Tom Holland catapulted the word to fame

What is rizz? How Tom Holland catapulted the word to fame

04 Dec 11:53 PM
If you’re doing any of these, no wonder you’re not sleeping well
sponsored

If you’re doing any of these, no wonder you’re not sleeping well

About NZMEHelp & SupportContact UsSubscribe to NZ HeraldHouse Rules
Manage Your Print SubscriptionNZ Herald E-EditionAdvertise with NZMEBook Your AdPrivacy Policy
Terms of UseCompetition Terms & ConditionsSubscriptions Terms & Conditions
© Copyright 2023 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP