About Fertility & Research Centre
About us
Your unique story starts with ours.
Our credentials
Our values
Research Centre
Teaching Hospital
News and events
About Fertility and Research Centre
Welcome to the only Australian fertility centre of its kind.
Formed in 2017 as a joint initiative between the Royal Hospital for Women and the University of New South Wales, we’re the only fertility centre within a public hospital in New South Wales to combine comprehensive yet affordable fertility treatments and oncofertility services, with clinical research. The Fertility and Research Centre provides a thorough, multi-disciplinary approach for men and women with reproductive health concerns, including infertility, polycystic ovarian syndrome, problems in early pregnancy and recurrent miscarriage. We also specialise in fertility preservation treatments for anyone facing a cancer diagnosis, particularly children and young adults. We provide full clinical workup and management within a team of clinicians, surgeons, nurses, midwives, scientists and counsellors with fees covered by Medicare, where possible.
Our credentials
Over 4,000 babies delivered each year and counting...
While we were officially born in 2017, the Fertility and Research Centre is part of the Royal Hospital for Women – one of Australia's foremost specialist hospitals for women and babies since 1820. Fertility and Research Centre When the NSW Government agreed to cover publicly funded fertility treatments in three Sydney hospitals in 2017, the Fertility and Research Centre became the first dedicated oncofertility centre in Australia. The clinic’s landmark construction was made possible through $1.6M in philanthropic funding, raised by the Royal Hospital for Women Foundation. And in 2019, clinic capability was further complemented by a fully integrated multi-million dollar laboratory. It currently remains the most state-of-the-art facility of its kind in Australia.
Our values
At the Fertility and Research Centre, our values speak volumes.
These three ways we choose to show up for our patients aren’t just words on a page –they’re the "how" that drives our vision to stay accessible for all, and at the forefront of our industry.
Lead with humanity
We partner with our patients to provide a world-class fertility care experience that actually feels human.
Equal access for all
We’re passionate about making fertility treatments affordable and accessible for all, giving more people the best possible chance of a healthy baby.
Tomorrow’s proven science
With our DNA in research and as a leading fertility care centre that’s also part of a renowned public hospital, our access to the latest innovation is unrivalled.
Research Centre
We don’t just practice, we innovate.
We strongly believe the status quo just isn’t good enough. That’s why our dedication to clinical research is at the heart of Australian fertility science, always pushing forward to discover new breakthroughs and share our proven treatments with our patients. The FRC is currently recruiting patients for involvement of clinical trials in collaboration with UNSW. If you are interested in participating in a study or request more information; please ask your clinician during your consult.
Social Media Survey
The RHW and FRC are currently recruiting participants for a 5 minute anonymous survey to research how social media affects patients on their fertility journey. We’re hoping to find out more about how social media is used, how it’s helpful, what’s not helpful and what might be harmful. You are invited to take 5 minutes to complete this anonymous survey by following the link:
Modulate Study
The FRC is currently recruiting IVF patients for a clinical trial looking at whether the fertility treatment used to stimulate ovulation, changes the amount, or type, of microbes usually present in your vaginal microbiome (the DNA of the millions of ‘bugs’ that live on our bodies). Swabs and a questionnaire are completed over three appointments; before you start fertility treatment, at egg collection and then at embryo transfer.
Enhance Study
The FRC is currently recruiting patients in a clinical trial to see if supplements improve egg quality in IVF treatment. lf you are you having IVF treatment and agree to join the study, we will ask you to take the supplement nicotinamide riboside at either 250mg, 1000mg, or placebo capsules once a day for one month prior to starting IVF treatment and until you have egg collection.
Mother's Babies Study
The FRC & UNSW Microbiome Research Centre is currently recruiting people planning a pregnancy for The MothersBabies Study, a world-first pre-pregnancy study looking to uncover how a person’s microbiome changes from pre-pregnancy, pregnancy and in the first 2 years of life, so that mums and bubs the world over may have the healthiest start to life.
AMIE Study
The FRC is currently recruiting male patients as part of the Australian Male Infertility Exposure (AMIE). The aim of the study is to develop better understanding of the impact of lifestyle and environment on male infertility. The study involves an online questionnaire about general health, lifestyle and environmental exposures over your lifetime as well as providing a saliva sample.
PGD Study
The FRC is currently recruiting patients as part of a PGD Study. The aim of the study is to explore the perspectives and attitudes towards preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) testing of embryos in patients with cancer or other disease secondary to a known genetic mutation and/or patients who are an unaffected carrier of a genetic mutation wishing to conceive now or in the future. Consenting participants will be interviewed with pre-determined questions through a cloud-based video conferencing service and all information collected will be de-identified and analysed.
Novel Agent Study
The FRC is currently recruiting patients in a study to understand the reproductive effects of non-cytotoxic and immunotherapy anti-cancer drugs. The reproductive effects of these novel agents is not yet known, although animal data describes potential concerns. The lack of robust data available leads to uncertainty around fertility side effects. To our knowledge, this is the first human study investigating the reproductive impact of these agents with the hope that it will facilitate creating the first evidence-based guidelines for patients taking NCIT drugs.
Oocyte Imaging Study
The FRC in collaboration with UNSW are developing a technology using artificial intelligence. Applied to oocyte images, this technology would assist in identifying those oocytes with the greatest potential to form a blastocyst and successful pregnancy. We have exciting results from a pilot investigation and are working on expanding our data set to include more oocyte images and scientifically validate our initial findings. With this novel application we hope to develop a valuable tool not only for the FRC but for all doctors, scientists and patients to improve fertility treatment outcomes.
NAD and Vitamin B3 in Pregnancy – The NADip Study
The RHW is currently recruiting pregnant and non-pregnant women with a history of two or more miscarriages to a clinical trial to test women’s nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) levels (a form of Vitamin B3).
FUTuRE Fertility
The FUTuRE (Fertility Understand Through Registry and Evaluation) Fertility team has established the first web-based Australasian Oncofertility Registry collecting international data from cancer and fertility centres. Outcomes from the registry will monitor uptake and use of fertility preservation, future use and complications of assisted reproductive practices giving clinicians accurate risk projections for patient’s future infertility (reproductive potential) and assisting clinicians in making recommendations for fertility preservation and assisted reproductive techniques and strategies.
PreBabe Study
The FRC is currently recruiting patients in the PreBabe study. The PreBabe study is a world-first clinical trial being run across five maternity hospitals in Sydney and Hunter New England Region in collaboration with the University of Sydney. The aim of the study is to explore how losing weight prior to pregnancy can improve the long-term health of mothers and babies.
Teaching Hospital
Growing the next generation of fertility care leaders.
Best-practice fertility care begins with the best education. We provide high-level training in Reproductive Medicine for those studying for the Certificate in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (CREI). Our Teaching Hospital is also leading Australia and New Zealand in the development of new ethical frameworks, necessitated by the rapid introduction of novel science into human reproduction. With unique access to world-class experts in their fields, our specialised training is not readily available anywhere else in NSW.
News and events
Stay up to date on the latest news and events at the Fertility and Research Centre.
Event
Not Pregnant, Just Looking
"Not Pregnant, Just Looking” is a 2-hour information session and tour, developed by the PLaN team for couples planning a pregnancy.
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Event
Complex Preconception Clinic
The Complex Preconception Clinic (CPC) is a specialist service for women and their partners who have a history of complex obstetric, medical and genetic conditions who are planing a pregnancy.
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