Big increase in Queenstown women seeking fertility support
There’s been a dramatic almost 120% increase in Queenstown women seeking help with fertility issues, from their late 20s through to their mid-40s, up from an estimated 142 at the end of 2023 to 311 at the end of last year.
Fertility NZ CEO Lydia Hemingway says more and more women are seeking help in the south and there’s been a big influx in women using their online support. “We’ve had to change how we do things with more focus online with a younger generation in their 20s and 30s seeking help.”
Queenstown is one of the few centres that has an in-person support group and coordinator Eva Hooper says it’s a “huge connector” with the challenge of travelling to Dunedin for treatment, the unpredictability of that, and time off work.
“It’s a massive help being able to have that emotional support and ask questions like how to handle difficult conversations with employers.”
The support’s vital for migrant women and those from overseas with family and friends so far away, she says.
In certain cultures, anything related to sex is taboo so these women too are seeking information and help.
It’s becoming harder to start families financially as well with some women waiting until they own a house, or until their career is further ahead, concerned that they’re going to run into difficulty with age, Hemingway says.
“It’s certainly tough, particularly with all the struggles people are going through with housing and jobs.”
One in four people in NZ are affected by infertility and in 50% of cases it’s the male not the female who is infertile while some infertility is merely unexplained, she says.
Medical infertility is the main issue, but more people are seeking help with ‘social infertility’ which has no medical reason, Hemingway says.
This includes single women who haven’t found a suitable partner, or the likes of same sex couples who don’t have the natural attributes to produce a child and can’t find sperm donors or surrogates.
Fertility treatment can be publicly funded, depending on individual circumstances, but long waiting lists apply, and women with a high BMI don’t meet the criteria for that.
Egg freezing - ‘fertility preservation’, is becoming more prevalent. “More and more we’re seeing women in their late 20s or early 30s asking about this, even people in relationships who aren’t ready to have a child yet,” she says.
This can be hard on the body, due to hormone treatment, and the wallet, starting at just over $13,000, all privately funded.
“Most people we help are wanting a baby now though and we’re supporting them month after month.”
The Queenstown Fertility Support group meets at 7pm on the second Monday of each month at Engage Safety, 18 Glenda Drive, Frankton.
Join the Facebook group for events and information.
Ph: 0800 333 3306 or see: queenstownsupport@fertilitynz.org.nz
fertilitynz.org.nz/
