Expanded IVF subsidy program marks 3rd anniversary with over 20,000 newborns

Taipei, Aug. 19 (CNA) Over 20,000 test tube babies have been born in Taiwan since a subsidy program to assist infertile couples with in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures was expanded three years ago, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said on Monday.

Introduced on July 1, 2021, the expanded program, "Expanded Subsidy for infertility treatment (IVF)," has helped 18,157 couples struggling with infertility and had led to the birth of 20,539 babies through IVF by July 31, 2024, the ministry's Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said.

Health Minister Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) said at a news conference that the government expanded the program to "support and help infertile couples achieve their dream of parenthood while easing the financial burden of IVF treatments."

Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), including in vitro fertilization (IVF), has gained increased attention in Taiwanese society, with the number of ART treatment cycles -- which begins when ovarian stimulation is initiated or when an examination for embryo transfer is conducted -- among Taiwanese increasing from 14,325 in 2011 to 49,300 in 2021, according to a HPA report.

Many attribute the growing attention on ART to the trend of couples getting married later in life, which has led to difficulties in conceiving and contributed to Taiwan's declining birth rate.

In 2013, the average age at first marriage in Taiwan was 32 years for men and 29.7 years for women, with 194,939 newborns recorded that year. By 2023, the average age at first marriage increased to 32.9 years for men and 31 years for women, while the number of newborns dropped to 133,895.

The original IVF subsidy program, implemented in 2015, was only available to low-income and middle-low-income households, with just 12 to 20 applications approved each year and no newborns resulting from the program during its implementation period from 2015 to June 2021, according to the HPA.

In July 2021, it was expanded to include all couples where at least one spouse is a Taiwanese citizen with their marriage registered in the country's household registration system. The wife must be under 45 years old and diagnosed by a physician with infertility and requiring IVF treatment to qualify for the subsidy.

Since the launch of the expanded subsidy program, over 106,000 applications have been approved, with more than 85,000 approved cases completing their treatments and receiving financial assistance, a HPA news statement read.

One of the couples who benefited from the expanded subsidy program was a man surnamed Lee (李) and a woman surnamed Wang (王). The two married in 2020 and began trying to get pregnant at around that time.

"After about a year without any success ... we decided to seek help from a doctor," Wang said, adding that she learned about the expanded subsidy program from a television advertisement.

Wang, whose two children were both born through IVF treatments, shared that her baby boy was the 20,000th newborn under the expanded subsidy program, adding that the couple agreed that "the sooner we have a child, the more energy we'll have to raise them."

Regarding the amount of financial support from the expanded subsidy program, low-income and middle-low-income households can receive up to NT$150,000 (US$4,686) per treatment, while other couples can receive up to NT$100,000 for their first treatment and up to NT$60,000 for subsequent treatments, the HPA said.

Women under 40 years old can apply for a subsidy for up to six treatments per pregnancy, while those aged 40 to 45 are eligible for subsidies covering up to three treatments per pregnancy.

Tsai Way-yi (蔡維誼), deputy division director of HPA's Maternal and Child Health Division, told CNA that most IVF procedures in Taiwan cost around NT$200,000, and the government subsidy aims to cover approximately half of the treatment cost.

He added that the cost of IVF treatments is not fixed, as each couple's situation varies depending on factors such as the use of medication and the condition of the eggs and sperm.

Asked about the expanded program's contribution to boosting Taiwan's birth rate, Tsai noted that it is not the primary method to address the issue.

He cited 2021 data showing that 9,774 babies were born in Taiwan as a result of ART treatments, including those from the expanded program, which accounted for only 6.22 percent of the total 157,019 newborns that year.

No country in the world has successfully addressed low birthrates solely by providing substantial subsidies for IVF treatment, Tsai said, adding that different countries are still primarily focused on adopting measures such as childcare subsidies and workplace improvements to increase their birthrate.