IVF is producing a new generation of infertile Australian children who will require expensive medical treatment to produce their own offspring, says University of Newcastle laureate professor John Aitken.

He also warned of ongoing health problems with IVF children, suggesting that male children of ageing fathers who used assisted pregnancy procedures were prone to cancer.

University of Newcastle reproductive biologist John Aitken says IVF is producing a new generation of infertile children. Credit:Jonathan Carroll

Dr Aitken said affluence had become the enemy of fertility as Australians increasingly turned to IVF and other assisted pregnancy procedures.

One in six Australian couples use IVF.