About IFFS
Prior to 1951 no international organisation existed devoted to the investigation and treatment of human infertility. International co-operation and dialogue in the field of fertility and sterility can be said to have truly commenced in 1951 in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, with the formation of the International Fertility Association (IFA), an association of individual members. The purposes of the Association were:
1
To sponsor the holding of international Congresses in the specialty at regular intervals and in different parts of the world.
2
To standardise and orient processes for the studying and classifying of sterility all over the world.
3
To encourage scientific and social research in the field of infertility without limitation of national frontiers.
Eminent scientists from various parts of the world became members and triennial World Conferences in Fertility and Sterility were organized, the first in New York, USA, in May 1953.
At the Sixth World Conference held in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1968, the IFFS was born. A constitution and by-laws were drawn up and remain today to govern the actions of IFFS, a federation of National Fertility Societies. The first elected President of the IFFS was Hubert De Watteville, one of the founding fathers of FIGO. Since 1991, FIGO World Congresses have held a special De Watteville Lecture, organised jointly between the IFFS and FIGO.
The IFFS membership has grown and at present, over 65 National Fertility Societies are affiliated. It is estimated over 50,000 specialists worldwide concerned in the areas of fertility and sterility are brought together under one umbrella organization.
about FSANZ
The Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) has been at the forefront of reproductive medicine for more than four decades, helping shape one of the world’s most trusted, transparent, and ethically governed assisted reproduction systems. Representing fertility specialists, scientists, nurses, counsellors, embryologists, and researchers across Australia and New Zealand, the Society has played a defining role in advancing both the science and standards of fertility care.
Long before formal regulation existed internationally, the Society led the development of some of the world’s earliest standards for assisted reproductive technology (ART). In 1986, it introduced the first “Guidelines for Centres using Assisted Reproductive Technology in Australia and New Zealand,” which evolved into today’s globally respected Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee (RTAC) Code of Practice. Established in 1987, RTAC became the independent accreditation and licensing framework that continues to set standards for safety, quality, ethics, laboratory practice, and patient care across ART clinics in Australia and New Zealand.
Today, RTAC accreditation remains the benchmark for ART clinic licensing throughout the region and has influenced international best practice. The RTAC framework is recognised globally for its rigorous auditing, continuous improvement model, and commitment to transparency and patient outcomes.
FSANZ also helped establish the world’s oldest continuous ART registry. The original Assisted Conception Data Collection began in 1983 and remarkably captured ART pregnancies dating back to 1979 – before the first recorded IVF births in Australia and New Zealand. That registry evolved into ANZARD, the Australia and New Zealand Assisted Reproduction Database, now regarded internationally as one of the most comprehensive and trusted fertility treatment registries in the world.
ANZARD has become central to monitoring outcomes, improving safety, supporting research, informing government policy, and maintaining public confidence in IVF treatment. The strength of this data-driven system has helped Australia and New Zealand achieve exceptionally strong clinical outcomes while maintaining one of the lowest rates of multiple pregnancy globally through leadership in single embryo transfer practices.
The Society has long been recognised as a global leader in evidence-based fertility care and was among the earliest international advocates for single embryo transfer – helping shift global practice toward safer IVF with healthier outcomes for mothers and babies. When Australia first hosted the International Federation of Fertility Societies (IFFS) World Congress in 2001, many of the pioneers driving these transformative changes in reproductive medicine were at the forefront of the scientific program and international dialogue.
Built on a culture of collaboration, innovation, transparency, and patient-centred care, the Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand continues to shape the future of reproductive medicine — not only within Australia and New Zealand, but across the world.
