NSW, Canberra IVF clinics: Best and worst centres revealed

For the first time, couples undergoing IVF treatment can compare the success rates of providers. See how every clinic in NSW and the ACT rates.

Couples battling infertility across the state can now finally compare the success rates of individual IVF clinics.

The detailed data revealed on the Your IVF Success website has been heralded as bringing greater transparency for patients.

However some clinics, particularly those who service more complex cases, have raised concerns it doesn’t accurately portray the level of expertise they bring to the table.

While the Sydney CBD is peppered with IVF clinics, the data shows it is the regionally based providers and those in the outer suburbs who punch above their weight.

The clinic with the highest number of births per complete egg retrieval cycle for women under 35 in NSW and the ACT is Genea Liverpool which boasts a whopping 61.3 per cent success rate compared to the national average of 44.7 per cent.

They are followed closely by Genea Newcastle at 60.9 per cent and Genea Wollongong at 59 per cent.

File photo of an embryo in an IVF lab.

When it comes to the stats for women aged 35 to 42, again Genea stands out with regards to the number of births per complete egg retrieval cycle.

Women at Genea Bella Vista recorded an impressive 41.7 per cent success rate in contrast to the national average of 23.9 per cent.

Next was Genea Wollongong at 36.8 per cent and Genea Canberra at 32.3 per cent.

The lowest performing clinics in this dataset are Monash IVF Parramatta for women aged under 35 with just a 31 per cent success rate and City Fertility Liverpool with a success rate of 12.5 per cent for women aged 35 to 42.

The statistics, which have been made public for the first time, come from the Australian and New Zealand Assisted Reproduction Data Base which is a compulsory register for all IVF procedures performed in Australia.

The site was developed by the University of New South Wales’ National Perinatal Epidemiology Statistics Unit and funded by the federal government.

Genea scientific director Steve McArthur said while demographics come into play for some clinics – the patients at the provider’s Liverpool, Wollongong and Newcastle sites are on average younger than those who visit the Kent St premises – he firmly believed science and individualised care lead to Genea’s success.

He pointed to the “geri” incubators and culture medium used at Genea to grow the embryos which ensures they are interfered with as little as possible as they grow in the lab.

Genea presented peer reviewed research at a recent Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction which showed geri has seen a 24.3 per cent increase in the number of pregnancies when compared to the traditional incubator and culture medium system and 26.9 per cent more embryos which can be transferred or frozen for future use.

“It absolutely has an effect on the quality of the embryos,” Mr McArthur said.

The Australian and New Zealand Society of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility cautioned the launch of the site may lead some clinics to become reluctant to treat certain categories of patients.

“This government initiative will result in confusion, misinformation and potentially lead to reduction in access to treatment. Clinics with lower measures will scramble to change their statistics which may compromise access of some patients to care,” a spokesman said in a media release.

Camperdown mum Laura Smith with her son Hunter, who was conceived through IVF. Picture: Tim Hunter.

Mr McArthur said he believed this was an unlikely outcome in Australia.

“If not just patients are able to compare clinics but clinics can look at what other clinics are achieving, that might motivate them to improve their services,” he said.

“What I’d say to clinics not treating patients due to a certain clinical reasons, that happens to a certain degree now.

“Many clinics are not in a position or have chosen not to be in a position to offer certain services such as PGS (pre implantation genetic screening) so they may refer a patient on.”

Camperdown’s Laura and Ben Smith were initially with another IVF provider before transferring to Genea’s Sydney CBD clinic.

She described the experience at Genea as being “tenfold” better than her previous clinic and is hoping for a sibling for Hunter thanks to embryos Genea enabled her to bank.

“I would definitely encourage people to look at the (Your IVF Success) website,” Ms Smith said.

“You need to make an educated decision on where you’re going to invest your money and emotions.”

Creators of the site have acknowledged the reasons behind the figures can be complex.

“Caution is needed when comparing success rates between clinics. A clinic‘s success rates might be higher or lower relative to another clinic, based on the types of patients it treats and its diagnostic and treatment strategies,” a disclaimer of Your IVF Success reads.