South West Healthcare offers a satellite site for Victorian Public Fertility Care.
Warrnambool Women’s Health Service in conjunction with the Royal Women’s Hospital assists people of all genders who have been trying unsuccessfully to conceive or who have issues which may prevent or impair fertility or safe conception.
The Public Fertility Care Service provides residents with access to comprehensive, world-class fertility treatment including genetic counseling, fertility preservation and fertility assessment and treatment.
Please note that all patients seeking public fertility assistance will need a referral from their GP to The Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne. Direct referrals to South West Healthcare can not be accepted. Patients are not able to self refer.
What is offered:
Victoria’s Public Fertility Service is available to singles and couples and people of all genders whose situation or health may prevent or impair fertility or safe conception and/or who have been trying to conceive naturally but have been unsuccessful.
To be eligible for the service, you will need to:
If you meet the eligibility criteria, you will need to see your GP or specialist for a referral to the Women’s first.
Your referral must include the results of all tests and investigations, as outlined in the table below. These tests will be conducted at your own cost through a pathology and/or diagnostic service. Your GP or specialist should use this Reproductive Services Referral Form. The completed referral – including copies of your test results – can be faxed to the Women’s at (03) 8345 3036.
Your referral will be valid for 12 months.
While the public fertility service is free, there may be costs incurred outside of the service for medications, tests and investigations conducted by a pathology and/or diagnostic service.
The Public Fertility Service is funded by the Victorian Government. If you meet the pre-selected criteria for PFS, you are eligible for two stimulated cycles which will be fully funded. All embryos created from those funded cycles will also not incur a fee for embryo transfers. Some treatments may have a cost in the future. Speak with your treating team to find out more.
Medicines used in Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) treatments as a part of the Public Fertility Service will have a standard out of pocket fee, as directed by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
Once your referral has been completed by your GP and faxed to the Royal Women’s Hospital, the referral will be assessed according to need. Each person’s treatment journey is different. The timing and type of treatment will depend on specific fertility needs and that of your partner or donor. Please be aware that this process will take up to 5 days.
Once assessed you and your GP will be notified that the referral has been accepted or declined. Normally if declined, this may be that your referral is missing some of the tests that are required.
Once accepted, Warrnambool Women’s Health Service will call you and offer you an appointment with one of our medical specialist team.
Yes. The public fertility service accepts:
To ensure the public fertility service continues to meet the needs of all Victorian residents, we are unable to fast track an individual.
Yes, if you are receiving fertility care at another service and you meet the eligibility criteria, you can apply to enroll in the Public Fertility Service.
To do so, you will need a new GP or specialist referral to the public fertility service at the Royal Women’s Hospital.
You may also need to undertake some additional tests and investigations which can be obtained with a GP or specialist referral to a private testing service, at your own cost.
Yes, while you will have undertaken some tests and investigations in the private sector, there may be additional tests required for you and your partner (if relevant) in the public sector.
Your referring GP or specialist will have this information and be able to advise you. If you and your partner/donor need additional tests and investigations, these can be obtained with a GP or specialist referral to a private testing service.
Yes, The Royal Women’s Hospital will liaise with the service where the embryos, eggs or sperm are currently being stored to organise a transfer. The cost of transporting your frozen embryos, eggs or sperm must be covered by you.
Yes, this will be possible in the future for patients of the Public Fertility Service. As the donation process takes some time, it will take several months to recruit donors. We expect to be able to supply eggs and sperm for current patients of the Public Fertility Service in early 2024.
To find out more about the bank, visit egg and sperm bank website.
More information about the Women’s Public Fertility Service is available at:
nishi The Fertility Preservation Clinic is focused on the protection and preservation of fertility for the future. The Fertility Preservation Clinic at the Royal Women's Hospital specialise in providing care in fertility considerations for patients who have cancer or another health issue that puts fertility at risk.
The main reason young women and men may need to consider fertility preservation is because of the risk of damage to eggs and sperm from chemotherapy drugs, radiotherapy or other treatments, including surgery, for serious medical illnesses and cancer.
If your fertility preservation referral is for oncology (cancer) purposes, you should mention this at the time of your appointment to see the fertility specialist to ensure that you are seen quickly – within 24-48 hours if required with a senior fertility specialist and a counsellor if required.
At the Fertility Preservation Service, we will:
For more information regarding fertility preservation:
Further information for GPs and health practitioners about referrals can be found on the Royal Women’s Hospital website.