HKU-QMH CARE
Centre of Assisted Reproduction and Embryology
The University of Hong Kong - Queen Mary Hospital

The ART Centre, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong was first set up in 1986 with a vision to provide excellent service to infertile couples who wish to found a family. Our first IVF (in-vitro fertilization) was born in 1988. Our first ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) baby who was also the first ICSI baby in Hong Kong, was born in 1995 at Queen Mary Hospital. The first PGD (pre-implantation genetic diagnosis) baby in Hong Kong was born in 2002 at Queen Mary Hospital.

The ART Centre is jointly run by the University of Hong Kong and Queen Mary Hospital. Apart from treating patients with infertility, we are also involved in teaching and training of health professionals, as well as in conducting research in related areas. Based in a tertiary hospital, our centre is well-supported by expertise from other departments.

Apart from subspecialists in Reproductive Medicine in the specialty of obstetrics and gynaecology, specially dedicated nurses working in infertility, experienced and trained embryologists and laboratory staff, the centre is also served by urologists from the Department of Surgery, endocrinologists from the Department of Medicine, geneticists from the Prenatal Diagnostic & Counselling Department, clinical psychologists from the Department of Clinical Psychology and social workers from the Department of Social Work & Social Administration to provided concerted and holistic care to our patients.

We run a joint Male Infertility Clinic with urologists from the Department of Surgery. Male patients with azoospermia can now have the option of surgical sperm retrieval with either MESA (microsurgical epididymal sperm aspiration) or TESE (testicular sperm extraction).

We collaborate with geneticists from the Prenatal Diagnostic & Counselling Department to provide genetic tests such as checking for chromosomal abnormality or Y chromosome microdeletions.

Couples with such abnormalities will be counselled about the implications and the possibility of preventing such abnormalities from being transmitted to the offspring by PGD whereby only those embryos without the chromosomal abnormalities will be chosen for transfer back into the female’s womb. We also work with the Department of Medicine to provide PGD to couples affected with thalassaemia to screen for embryos not affected by the condition, so as to avoid the psychological trauma associated with aborting an affected fetus should the test be deferred to early pregnancy.

In conjunction with the Department of Social Work & Social Administration from the University of Hong Kong, we have established the first psychological counselling service for infertility patients in Hong Kong (PCCAR). We hold seminars, small group activities and offer individual counselling about infertility treatment, marital and family dynamics etc. in order to provide psychological support to our infertility patients.

We have also established the Centre of Human Reproduction, The University of Hong Kong, gathering experts from the Departments of Anatomy, Biochemistry, Paediatrics, Social Work and the Faculty of Law, in order to study the physiology, pathology, diagnosis and treatment as well as the legal, ethical and psychological aspects of infertility and treatments. By conducting various academic conferences and training courses, we share our experience with other experts in Hong Kong, mainland China and other international well-renowned centres and train health workers from the South East Asia region who wish to develop services in this area. We also publish research works in major international journals in Reproductive Medicine every year. All these research, teaching and collaboration help us to further our knowledge and refine our clinical management.

Our Obstetrics Division has been providing excellent obstetrics services to our patients as well as all other pregnant women including the particularly renowned prenatal diagnosis service.

WHO (World Health Organization) recognises women’s rights to attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health. They have the freedom to choose whether or not to have children, and in the case of an affirmative answer, the number and the spacing of children. They also have the right to appropriate medical care to ensure safe pregnancy and delivery and to take home healthy babies. We strive to achieve the same goals. We aim to improve the chance of pregnancy in those who are infertile and hence increase their likelihood of take home babies. At the same time, we try to avoid pregnancy and delivery complications by minimizing the chance of multiple pregnancies, and to prevent children from being born with serious hereditary diseases with the use of PGD. Through psychological counselling, we help the infertile couples cope with their situation so as to minimize the negative impact of infertility and its treatments on their quality of life.

All in all, we aim to provide a holistic care to infertile couples in one centre.

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