READYMOON: The new name for young Aussies celebrating the moment they are ready to start trying for a baby.
Media Release
Brisbane, 23 January 2024: A new survey launched today reveals that over a half of Australians (58.4%) believe they should be celebrating one of the biggest decisions in their life, being ready to become a parent.
The nationally representative survey conducted by Australia’s leading fertility group: Virtus Health (Queensland Fertility Group, IVFAustralia, Melbourne IVF and TasIVF) pinpointed the most common everyday moments that made Australians come to the realisation it’s time for a baby:
- Almost half (46%) said they knew they were ready when they started making future decisions based on having a baby, e.g., looking for a house near a childcare centre, or buying a bigger house;
- While 31% knew they were ready when the idea of becoming a parent stopped scaring them; and
- 23% said they knew they were ready when they became excited to hang out with their friends’ kids, nieces and nephews.
To encourage Australians to celebrate one of the biggest decisions in their life, Virtus Health is launching the ‘Readymoon’ campaign today.
Professor Hayden Homer, Queensland Fertility Group’s Medical Director said “Deciding on being ready to become a parent is a pivotal moment for many, and while it might be too premature to throw a big party, we want to encourage all future parents to take a moment to celebrate it with ‘Readymoon’ – whether that’s a weekend away, or a lovely dinner. We hope that marking the date in a special way will also encourage them to enter their journey in a conscious way and take steps to get pregnant, rather than leaving it to fate’.
The survey highlights Australians are proactive with all respondents admitting they have taken various steps to become pregnant after making the decision. However, while the majority (65%) acted within the same month, one in five (19%) admitted it took them up to a year to start trying.
As first-time mothers in Australia are getting older, experts are concerned that Australians are waiting too long before seeking help.
Professor Homer said: “If you’re over 35 and decide you want to have a baby, you should understand what affects your fertility, implement changes, and take necessary steps as soon as possible. The reality is, that for a healthy heterosexual couple over the age of 35, the chance of natural conception is only 15-20% each month.
We regularly hear it from our patients, and our survey also clearly shows over a third (35%) of Australians admitted that in hindsight, it was much harder to get pregnant than they thought before they started trying.”
In order to get pregnant, over a third (35%) of Australians said they’ve stopped drinking alcohol, one in three (32%) started tracking their ovulation period, 29% started taking supplements, and one in four changed to a healthier diet (25%) and started reading about getting pregnant (24%).
While over one in four (27%) consulted a medical practitioner, the majority of those decided to see a GP (85%) and only one in four (24%) of those spoke with a fertility specialist. Even less (18%) said they’ve scheduled a fertility test for themselves and/or their partner.
Professor Homer said: “Knowing more about your egg reserve and sperm health are two critical factors in understanding how your age and lifestyle may impact your chances of natural conception.”
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Press release developed by Havas Red on behalf of Virtus Health.
For media enquires please contact:
Gabriela Czwarnos
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0450 396 290
Angela Read
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0428 448 719
About Virtus Health:
Virtus Health Limited is the largest provider of fertility services in Australia, Ireland, Denmark as well as having a strong presence in the UK & Singapore. Virtus Health brings together leading clinicians, scientists, researchers and support staff; offering exceptional fertility care, fertility diagnostic services, reproductive genetics and specialist day hospital services. Virtus Health fertility clinics in Australia include Melbourne IVF, IVF Australia, Queensland Fertility Group and TasIVF. We provide important services to local communities with the support & capability of a global network. Learn more about us at virtushealth.com.
About the survey:
In December 2023, a nationally representative survey of 1012 Australians (aged 18+) who have decided to have a baby in the past has been conducted on behalf of Australia’s leading fertility group: Virtus Health (IVFAustralia, Melbourne IVF, Queensland Fertility Group and TasIVF) to unpack Australians’ behaviours, experiences and beliefs around making the decision to start trying for a baby to support the launch of the ‘Readymoon’ campaign.