Taipei: More than 21,000 couples have benefited from government subsidies for in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment since mid-2021, including four who have been approved to try for a third child, according to data released on Monday.

According to Focus Taiwan, since July 2021, a total of 21,514 couples have received subsidies of up to NT$150,000 (US$4,580.7), resulting in the birth of 24,653 babies with the help of IVF treatments, as of December 31, 2024, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) reported. This includes 657 couples who had a second child and four who were approved to try for a third baby.

The number of newborns involving IVF treatments reached 9,034 in 2024, increasing from 8,536 in 2023 and 7,083 in 2022, the agency under the Ministry of Health and Welfare stated. The government's IVF treatment subsidy scheme was revised in July 2021 to restrict the number of embryos implanted for each treatment to ensure the full-term birth of healthy babies.

Under the revised scheme, 75.8 percent of newborns were carried to full term (at least 37 weeks), up 11 percent from 2020, while 77.1 percent of the babies were born weighing at least 2,500 grams, a 10.7 percent increase from 2020 data. In addition, the income requirement was removed in mid-2021 to allow more couples to apply for the subsidy, as mentioned by HPA official Tsai Way-yi to CNA.

Previously, only low-income families could apply for financial assistance for IVF treatments. Currently, low-income couples can apply for up to NT$150,000 for each IVF treatment, up to a maximum of six attempts per child, while those in higher income groups can receive up to NT$100,000 for the first treatment and then up to a maximum of NT$600,000.

The subsidy covers up to 40-50 percent of the cost of IVF treatment. For a married woman under 40 years old, a couple can apply for subsidies up to six times to have a child, while the number of subsidized treatments for women aged 40-44 is capped at three.

The subsidies are available to women aged up to 44, as long as she or her husband holds Taiwanese citizenship and the couple have registered their marriage with the household registration authorities. HPA Director General Wu Chao-chun urged couples to take advantage of the best childbearing years when the wife is 25-35 years old. If a doctor determines a couple requires IVF treatments to have a child, they can apply for the subsidy through 103 government-contracted medical institutions.