IVFAustralia, Melbourne IVF and Queensland Fertility Group is the pre-eminent IVF organisation in Australasia bringing together the region’s leading expertise and resources in IVF services, specialist day hospitals and diagnostics & advanced science.
Our medical and scientific team has been responsible for the first IVF baby’s conception in each state (VIC 1980, NSW 1983, QLD 1984).
To date our doctors have been responsible for the creation of over 45,000 Australians during the past 30 years, half of this country’s IVF conceived population.
Our team has published 46 peer reviewed scientific papers in the past two years alone (more than 4 times any other IVF clinic) and undertaken many presentations at international and local meetings, demonstrating the unrivaled experience of our fertility professionals.
Victoria
Melbourne IVF was born out of the Reproductive Biology Unit (now known as Reproductive Services) at the Royal Women's Hospital and was founded in 1989.
Among Melbourne IVF's founders Ian Johnston and Dr John McBain were part of the Melbourne Egg Project – the collaborative team responsible for the pioneering work that conceived and delivered Candice Reed in 1980 – Australia's first IVF child.
Melbourne IVF was also responsible for the first permanent regional IVF clinic, established in Albury in 1988. Ten years later Melbourne IVF undertook the first full karyotype from single cell embryo biopsy in Australia leading the way in IVF genetics.
Queensland
Queensland Fertility Group's founders Dr John Hennessy and Dr Doug Keeping were responsible for the conception and delivery, respectively, of Queensland's first IVF conceived children (twins), born on 17th March 1984.
QFG achieved the state's first pregnancy from embryo freezing in 1986 and the first pregnancy from egg freezing in 2005.
New South Wales
Among IVFAustralia's founders Emeritus Professor Doug Saunders and Dr Ric Porter – part of the team that managed the conception and delivery of NSW's first IVF child – David Van Gent – in 1983.
Our scientists pioneered PolScope and achieved the first pregnancy with its use in 2004. This technique uses polarised light to clearly see where the genetic material is stored in the egg, particularly useful when performing Intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection the most popular form of IVF today.
In October 2009 IVFAustralia was the first clinic in the country to introduce Digital High Magnification for sperm selection.
The technique magnifies sperm 7300 times. By selecting optimal sperm fertilisation and pregnancy rates are increased for couples with recurrent miscarriage, low sperm morphology or high levels of sperm DNA damage.
