Professor Michael Chapman
Introducing Professor Michael Chapman — a highly regarded fertility expert and one of the minds behind IVF Australia. Working out of Life Fertility Clinic Sydney, Professor Chapman has helped countless Australians on their journey to parenthood. For LGBTQIA+ individuals and couples, that journey often involves navigating a maze of legal issues, medical complexities, and financial obstacles. Whether it’s exploring options like surrogacy, donor conception, or egg freezing, many people turn to experts like Professor Chapman for guidance and support along the way.
We sat down with him to discuss some of the key challenges queer families face, the recent steps forward in policy, and his advice for anyone in the LGBTQIA+ community considering their family-building options.
What unique considerations or challenges do LGBTQIA+ people face when accessing fertility services in Australia, and how are clinics like yours addressing them?
While general public acceptance of the right of gay couples or singles to fulfil their dream of having a baby has become more widely accepted, there remains a conservative minority against such services being provided. Fortunately, the Department of Health has federally accepted that Medicare benefits be available to such individuals in their request for a child
Surrogacy and donor conception are often key paths to parenthood for queer families—what’s your view on how the current legal and medical systems support (or fail) these communities?
Surrogacy anywhere in the world is expensive and full of legal hurdles. In Australia, a surrogate can not be paid other than “reasonable expenses”, which has never been defined, but it is thought $25k would be acceptable. We are very happy to provide advice on accessing surrogacy. Medicare does not cover expenses associated with fertility treatment in Australia.
Many LGBTQIA+ people feel anxious or overlooked in traditional medical settings. How do you and your team foster a welcoming, inclusive environment from the very first consultation?
Our clinicians are very open in their approach to LGBTQIA patients, as we all believe that everybody has the right to have a child
.
You’ve played a major role in shaping IVF policy and practice in Australia—what more do you think needs to be done to ensure equitable access for trans and gender-diverse patients?
Recent changes in Department of Health policies in relation to Medicare rebates for the LGBTQIA+ community are a major breakthrough. The next step is convincing them to also support surrogacy.
Fertility can feel like an overwhelming topic, especially for younger queer people who don’t see it as an immediate priority. What advice would you give to someone in their 20s or 30s who wants to keep their future family options open?
For men, it is not a serious problem since sperm quality does not decline rapidly with age. However, for women, there is a decline in egg quality and numbers after 35 years. So freezing eggs between 30 and 35 years of age for the future is a sensible step. More and more women are seeking this option. With the cheapest premium egg freezing costs in Sydney, Life Fertility Clinic Sydney is the place to go. We believe egg freezing is worthwhile. Every single woman should consider it.
To learn more about Prof. Chapman, you can follow him here on Instagram.
To read more from Gay Sydney Australia, please click here.