Page 4 - FSANZ SPRING -2021

President’s Report: Navigating our way
Despite the many impacts and setbacks caused by the
COVID 19 pandemic, our Society is still confident of presenting the FSANZ Annual Scientific Meeting in Sydney on the revised dates of 31 January to 2 February 2022.
It has been a frustrating period for the organising committee – indeed our entire membership – with the deferral of the scheduled meeting in September because of the serious COVID situation in New South Wales.
However, with the prospect of high vaccination rates and vaccination passports enabling the opening up of travel and face-to-face meetings, it is now all systems go for the rescheduled conference early in the new year at the International Convention Centre in the heart of Sydney and at the intersection of the city’s academic, cultural and technology precincts.
We have all been yearning for the opportunity to meet again for the exchange of research and clinical knowledge and for social interaction, and the organising committee under the leadership of convenor Michael Chapman, Scientific Advisory Chair, David Gardner, and Chair of the Local Scientific Committee, Christos Venetis, have put together a compelling, informative and entertaining program.
This edition features a more detailed overview of the meeting, including program details and social activities. I look forward to seeing as many members as possible in Sydney as we navigate our way back to a sense of normality in this pandemic environment.
COVID-19 Advice
The Australian Medical Association has recommended that it should be mandated for all health care workers to be fully vaccinated against the virus. The NSW, Tasmanian and Western Australian Governments have also adopted this policy, which covers those of us working in the field of assisted reproduction.
Meanwhile, the FSANZ fully supports the vaccination recommendations of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists specifically referring to women who are planning pregnancy, who are pregnant, and who are breastfeeding.
The RANZCOG recommendations are featured in this edition, and also on the FSANZ website, and I urge all members to carefully read and promote the content to patients.
The pandemic has made all of our activities more challenging, but units have adapted well to the necessary precautions that have been applied in various locations with no major disruptions to IVF services at the time of publication.
With travel plans delayed and people having more time on their hands to ponder their future due to the pandemic, fertility clinics have reported a surge in demand for services.
Luk Rombauts
Medicare data shows there was a 35.3 per cent jump in the number of IVF cycles undertaken in Australia in the year to May 2021, with every State and Territory experiencing a growth of at least 21.5 per cent.
One downside of the pandemic is that lockdowns and travel restrictions have made it more difficult for people to access donated sperm, which has impacted on waiting lists at most clinics.
Latest ANZARD Report
There are very pleasing outcomes in latest data on IVF success rates released in the Assisted Reproductive Technology in Australia and New Zealand 2019 (ANZARD) Report from the University of New South Wales. This is particularly so for women over the age of 35 years.
Equally pleasing is the continuing decline in the multiple birth rate following IVF in Australia and New Zealand. This is a direct result of our commitment to single embryo transfer making Australia and NZ among the safest countries in the world to have IVF.
The ANZARD report is featured in detail in this edition.
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