Day 2 | Session 3| Concurrent | Fertility - can we make access more equitable
Unexplained infertility: investigations and management
Unexplained infertility is a controversial topic in reproductive medicine. In this session, we will explore how the choice of investigations influences the frequency of diagnosis and critically examine what should (and shouldn’t) be included in a standard work-up. We will also consider whether current approaches are equitable across Aotearoa, and review treatment options that are supported by robust evidence.
Dr Lucy Prentice
Senior Lecturer and Fertility Sub-Specialist
University of Auckland
Lucy is a Fertility Subspecialist and Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland. She has a special interest in unexplained infertility and is currently completing a PhD looking into treatment options for couples with unexplained infertility.
Donor conceived children in Aotearoa: what do they need?
Donor conception - building families using donated eggs, sperm, or embryos - is increasingly common in Aotearoa New Zealand.
As recognition grows of the importance of openness and connection for donor-conceived people, this presentation outlines key ethical principles of donor conception and shares recent research in Aotearoa on how parents disclose donor conception and engage with donors.
Associate Professor Sonja Goedeke
Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience
Auckland University of Technology
Dr Sonja Goedeke is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Auckland University of Technology and a registered clinical psychologist.
Her research focuses on the psychosocial and ethical dimensions of infertility and assisted reproduction, particularly donor conception. She has examined how families navigate disclosure, contact, and identity in donor conception and embryo donation.
Sonja chairs the Psychology and Counselling Special Interest Group for ASPIRE, collaborates with Professor Cindy Farquhar and colleagues on the Donor Identity Aotearoa New Zealand project, serves on ANZICA committees, advises FertilityNZ, and is guest advisor for a 2025/26 Human Fertility special issue on donor connections.
Fairer fertility care funding: should New Zealand have a BMI threshold?
New Zealand is one of few countries with restrictions on access to publicly funded fertility treatment based on BMI. In this presentation, Karyn lays out the arguments for and against this restriction and the research evidence to support these.
Dr Karyn Anderson
Research Fellow
University of Auckland
Karyn is a doctoral student at the University of Auckland, using health economic methods to research how changes to the criteria for public funding could more fairly distribute access to public funded fertility treatment in New Zealand. Karyn also works as a research fellow at the University conducting evidence reviews for RANZCOG clinical guidelines.