Reproductive technology is the term used to describe the range of medical treatments available to assist couples to conceive. The majority of people seeking assisted conception technologies are infertile. Infertility means being unable to conceive a baby naturally after at least 12 months of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse. It affects approximately 15% of Australian couples of reproductive age. The causes can lie equally with a woman or a man and in 20% of couples infertility is unexplained or 'idiopathic' (1).

Previously there were only two remedies available for infertile couples: remaining childless or adopting a baby. Whilst remaining childless is a legitimate choice made by a number of couples, many men and women experience a strong desire to have a child. The inability to have a child can be devastating and involve a lengthy process of loss and grief.

Since the late 1970s, significant scientific and medical advances in reproductive technology have changed the way women can have children, and even definitions of motherhood and fatherhood. Reproductive technology, however, does have its drawbacks. The success rate is relatively low and the treatments can be both financially and emotionally draining. There are also ongoing debates about the ethical, moral and legal dimensions of reproductive technology.