Public Fertility Care

Section menu

Victoria’s world class Public Fertility Care provides fertility assessment and treatment, including IVF.

Public Fertility Care is free, but there may be some out-of-pocket costs outside of the service for medicines and tests.

Fertility treatments such as in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) can help Victorians who want to become parents. Public Fertility Care aims to make it easier and fairer for more Victorians to access these services, particularly:

  • low-income earners
  • Victorians living in rural and regional areas
  • LGBTIQA+ people
  • single people
  • people who need fertility preservation due to medical treatment, such as people with cancer and people undergoing gender reassignment treatment.

Eligibility criteria

Victoria's Public Fertility Care is available to singles and couples and people of all genders.

To be eligible for the service, you will need to: 

  • be a Victorian resident who holds a Medicare card 
  • have a referral from a GP or specialist which includes all necessary test and investigation results  
  • meet age criteria as follows:
    • aged 42 years or younger using your own eggs 
    • aged less than 51 years and seeking to use donor eggs (the egg being used must be 42 years or younger at time of collection).

If you are part of a heterosexual couple who has been trying to conceive, the following also applies: 

If aged under 35 years:

If aged between 35-42 years (inclusive):

Have been trying to conceive for more than a year.

Have been trying to conceive for at least six months.
You need to be using an egg (your own or from a donor) that is 42 years or younger at time of treatment.

Locations for Public Fertility Care 

Public Fertility Care is led by the Women’s with its partner fertility services across Victoria. The Women's catchment areas include the City of Melbourne, Yarra City Council, Mooney Valley City Council, and Maribyrnong City Council.

Our partner fertility services are Barwon Health, Bendigo Health, Goulburn Valley Health, Grampians Health, Mercy Health, Mildura Base Public Hospital, Monash Health, Northern Health, Southwest Health, and Western Health.

Which health service will be providing my care?

The Women’s is partnering with health services across Victoria so your care can be provided closer to your home.

Your GP or specialist must still make your referral to the Women’s. Your referral will be triaged by the Women's and we will contact you to let you know whether it is accepted. 

If your care is to be provided by one of our partner health services, you will be advised of that service's name in your letter from the Women's. That partner health service will then contact you to arrange your first appointment. You will attend all your appointments at that service and then come to the Women's only for your procedure/s.

Our current health service partners are:

Health service

Local Government Area

Barwon Health, Geelong

 
  • Colac Otway
  • Golden Plains
  • Greater Geelong
  • Queenscliffe
  • Surf Coast

Bendigo Health
  • Buloke Shire
  • Central Goldfields Shire
  • Greater Bendigo City
  • Macedon Ranges Shire
  • Campaspe Shire
  • Gannawarra Shire
  • Loddon Shire
  • Mount Alexander Shire

Goulburn Valley Health, Shepparton

 

 
  • Alpine Shire
  • Albury City
  • Greater Shepparton City Council
  • City of Wodonga
  • Indigo Shire
  • Mansfield Shire
  • Moira Shire
  • Rural City of Benalla
  • Strathbogie Shire
  • Towong Shire
  • Wangaratta Shire

Grampians Health, Ballarat

 
  • City of Ballarat
  • Horsham Rural City
  • Pyrenees Shire
  • Ararat Rural City
  • West Wimmera Shire
  • Hindmarsh Shire
  • Hepburn Shire
  • Northern Grampians Shire
  • Yarrambiack Shire
  • Southern Grampians Shire

Mercy Health, Heidelberg
  • City of Banyule
  • City of Darebin
  • Nillumbik Shire
  • Merri-bek City Council (formerly Moreland)

Mildura Base Public Hospital
  • Mildura Rural City
  • Swan Hill Rural City
Monash Health
  • Bayside
  • Boroondara
  • Cardinia
  • Casey
  • Frankston
  • Glen Eira
  • Greater Dandenong
  • Kingston
  • Knox
  • Manningham
  • Maroondah
  • Monash
  • Mornington Peninsula
  • Murrindindi
  • Port Phillip
  • Stonnington
  • Whitehorse
  • Yarra Ranges

Gippsland

  • Bass Coast
  • Baw Baw
  • Wellington
  • East Gippsland
  • Latrobe
  • South Gippsland

Northern Health, Epping 
  • City of Hume
  • City of Whittlesea
  • Mitchell Shire

Southwest Healthcare, Warrnambool

 
  • City of Warrnambool
  • Corangamite Shire
  • Moyne Shire
  • Glenelg Shire (Victoria only)

Western Health, Sunshine Hospital
  • Brimbank City
  • Hobsons Bay
  • City of Melton
  • Moorabool Shire
  • Wyndham City

Referrals - taking the first step

  1. Talk to your GP or specialist about Public Fertility Care.
  2. You will need to complete tests and investigations. Your GP will organise these.
  3. Once you have your results, your GP can send a referral to the Women's.
  4. You will receive a letter from the Women’s once your referral has been accepted. It will give you information on the next steps.

Instructions for your GP or specialist:

Test results your GP or specialist needs to send with referral

Primary patient investigations

Egg provider

Partner tests, if accessing service with a partner

Investigations - must be provided

  • Pelvic ultrasound (trans-vaginal if possible)
  • Cervical screening test (last 5 years)
  • Weight, height and BMI

Pathology - must be provided

  • Hepatitis B & C, HIV, Syphilis, Rubella, Varicella
  • Blood group & antibodies
  • FBE, Ferritin
  • FSH, LH, Prolactin, TSH, Estradiol (E2), free testosterone
  • Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG)

Provide if available

  • Karyotype
  • AMH
  • Chlamydia/Gonorrhoea urine or endocervical PCR
  • Progesterone (day 21 for regular cycles and adjusted for irregular cycles)

People accessing the service with a partner, regardless of gender, must also have tests sent with the referral. This helps to determine health risks which may need to be managed.

Information that must be provided

  • Semen analysis (if appropriate)

Provide if available

  • Hepatitis B & C, HIV, Syphilis
  • Male hormones (if appropriate)
  • Karyotype (if appropriate)
  • Semen antibodies (if appropriate).
Current Public Fertility waitlist timeframe

The current waitlist timeframe (from referral received to patient's first appointment) is approximately 4 to 8 weeks (updated September 2024).

An estimated timeline from referral to treatment, up to 12 months:

  1. GP referral: A referral is sent from the GP or specialist to the Women's. This includes results of required tests and investigations.
  2. Referral review: The referral is processed and triaged by the Women's. Both the patient and GP are notified on next steps via a letter.
  3. Patient is added to the waitlist: The accepted referral is added to the waitlist - either at the Women’s or their local health service.
  4. First appointment: A letter is sent to the patient when an appointment has been scheduled at the Women’s or their local health service.
  5. Follow-up appointments: Additional appointments may be required, depending on an individual patient’s needs.
  6. Treatment plan is established: The patient is provided with a fertility treatment plan.
  7. Nurse education: The patient attends an education session about the treatment plan and learns about medication management.
  8. Counselling: The patient is required to attend counselling sessions, tailored to their treatment plan.
  9. Fertility treatment commences: Fertility treatment usually commences 1-3 months after all the steps leading up to a plan is complete.
What to expect after referral

Your referral will be triaged by clinical staff at the Women’s. You will receive a letter from the Women's, outlining if your referral has been accepted.

You will then be contacted with a date and time for your first appointment.

If your care is to be provided by one of our partner fertility services, you will be advised of that service's name in your acceptance letter and that service will contact you to arrange your first appointment. You will attend all your appointments at that service and then come to the Women's only for your procedure/s.

Your first appointment will be scheduled as soon as possible. Once you are enrolled with the service, you will be starting your fertility treatment journey.

Frequently asked questions

Are there any costs associated with the service?

While Public Fertility Care is free, there may be some out-of-pocket costs incurred outside of the service for medications, tests, and investigations conducted by a pathology and/or diagnostic service. 

What should I expect at my first appointment? 

At your first appointment, you will be asked questions about your fertility history. Further tests may be ordered to assess your fertility. 

A health assessment will also be performed, to ensure you are in the best possible condition to safely have a baby. 

If you are coming to our service with a partner, they may also be asked about their fertility history. Further tests may be ordered to assess their fertility.  

After this first appointment, staff will liaise with you to book further appointments.  

What do I need to bring to my first appointment?
  • A letter from the health service confirming your appointment
  • Your Medicare card, Health Care Card and/or Pension Card*
  • Details of any current medications*
  • Photo identification (Australian Driver Licence or Passport)*
  • Supporting documentation if you are an asylum seeker*.

*If you are using our service with a partner, your partner should also bring these documents to your first appointment.

What happens after my first appointment?

Your Public Fertility Care team will work with you to decide which treatment is appropriate. 

Treatments may include: 

  • assisting your ovulation, with a focus on timings, known as ovulation induction 
  • a lifestyle assessment and weight management strategy to reduce the impact of excess weight on fertility 
  • artificial insemination or IVF. If artificial insemination or IVF is recommended, a counselling session will be organised for you before this treatment begins.   
Does Public Fertility Care provide testing of embryos to see if they carry a genetic condition?

Not yet. In 2024 we hope to be able to provide Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT).   

Please find below some background information on PGT testing: 

PGT testing is a technique used in IVF to help reduce the risk of passing on known genetic conditions. 

This process occurs after the embryos have grown in the laboratory for about 5-6 days. A few cells are extracted from each embryo and tested. If the testing shows an embryo does not contain the genetic condition, the embryo can then be transferred into a patient’s uterus to attempt a successful pregnancy. 

However, PGT cannot guarantee the birth of a healthy baby. Therefore, people who become pregnant are advised to have prenatal testing (e.g. DNA testing or chorionic villus sampling) to confirm PGT results. 

To find out more about PGT, visit the Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority. 

I can’t attend my appointment, what should I do?

If you need to change the time of your appointment, let the health service know as soon as possible. This will give us the opportunity to offer your appointment time to another person in need. 

If your appointment is at the Women's (Parkville), email reproductiveservices@thewomens.org.au or call us on (03) 8345 3200. 

Australia’s first public egg and sperm donor program is now open for donations at the Women’s. To find out how to donate, visit the egg and sperm bank webpage. 

Date reviewed: 24 September 2024

Date reviewed: 24 September 2024