Legislation giving Victorians conceived through donor sperm donated before 1988 the right to access identifying information about their donors with their donor's consent passed on 21 August  2014 and took effect from 29 June 2015.

The supply of sperm donors in Victoria has dropped by 23 per cent over the past financial year, according to the Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority's (VARTA's) Annual Report 2014. There were only 343 sperm donors at the start of 2013-14 compared to 445 in the previous year.

At the same time, the increase in demand for donor sperm from single women and those in same-sex relationships has resulted in demand outstripping supply in the state, with the use of donor insemination almost doubling between 2013-14 and 2012-13.

Interpreting IVF clinic success rates in context

There has been much talk in the media about IVF clinic success rates and the language used by clinics to express average results. We know that about 25 per cent of women or couples who commence a single IVF cycle will take home a baby. We know that the average couple who has an IVF baby requires more than one treatment cycle.

One of the reasons that IVF clinic success rates are so complicated to explain to individuals or couples is that the couple themselves may not be average.