<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>340472</docID> <postdate>2025-03-16 13:22:10</postdate> <headline>IVF, contraception drugs cheaper as birth rate dips</headline> <body><p><img class="wp-image-208669 size-full" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/pregnant-belly-maternal-mother-maternity-160624-e1742091653593.jpg" alt="" width="867" height="578" /></p> <caption>Australia's birth rate has fallen to a record-low 1.5 children per woman.</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By <strong>Luke Costin</strong></span></p> <p><strong>A new treatment for a common painful condition and two other drugs will be made cheaper to improve thousands of Australian women's lives.</strong></p> <p>About 8500 Australian women are expected to benefit annually when Ryeqo is listed on the pharmaceutical benefits scheme on May 1.</p> <p>The drug is a new endometriosis treatment option for people who have experienced moderate to severe pain and cannot get adequate relief from other hormonal treatments and painkillers, the federal government said on Sunday.</p> <p>About one in seven Australian women suffer from endometriosis, where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows elsewhere in the body, affecting fertility and causing debilitating pain.</p> <p>Symptoms are variable and contribute to an average delay in diagnosis of six-and-a-half years, according to Endometriosis Australia.</p> <p>New subsidies will also cut the costs of a progestogen-only contraceptive pill and an IVF hormone therapy.</p> <p>Women with low levels of specific hormones will be able to access Pergoveris for $32 per treatment cycle from their first IVF cycle, rather than having to wait for multiple failures.</p> <p>Each unsubsidised cycle costs about $3500.</p> <p>Adelaide mum Helana Shehadeh used Pergoveris during her second IVF cycle in 2023, which resulted in the birth of baby Zayn.</p> <p>"Anyone who has been through IVF understands the agony of multiple cycles," she said.</p> <p>"Earlier access to this fertility treatment will alleviate some of the burden for women undergoing IVF."</p> <p>The announcement was welcomed amid Australia's birth rate falling to a record-low 1.5 babies per woman.</p> <p>"The cost of assisted reproduction remains a major barrier for many families, particularly amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis," Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand president Petra Wale said</p> <p>"Fewer financial and logistical hurdles mean more families can focus on what truly matters – having a baby."</p> <p>The listings would improve the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of Australian women, Health Minister Mark Butler said.</p> <p>"Women have asked government to take their health care seriously, and we have listened," he said.</p> <p>"These listings could save women and their families thousands of dollars across their lifetimes."</p> <p>He dismissed criticism about delayed action after a government advisory committee recommended in March 2024 that Ryeqo be added to the subsidy scheme.</p> <p>"They've all been dealt with expeditiously," Mr Butler told Weekend Today.</p> <p>"Over the nine years of (the coalition) government, not a single new pill, not a single endometriosis treatment, not a single menopause treatment (was added)."</p> <p>The opposition said it was not good enough to leave women waiting for more than a year for "potentially life-changing medications".</p> <p>"Prioritising women's health remains a top priority of the coalition, as we remain strongly committed to our longstanding policy of listing all PBAC-recommended medicines on the PBS, and in a timely manner," opposition health spokeswoman Senator Anne Ruston said.</p> <p>The price of a contraceptive pill used by about 80,000 women will also be slashed.</p> <p>Under the PBS, the annual cost of Slinda will drop from about $320 to about $94 for general patients or $22 for concession card holders.</p> <p>The absence of estrogen in the pill makes it particularly suitable for older women, smokers, women at increased risk of blood clots and those who suffer migraine attacks.</p> </body>