Often as GPs, we are the first to hear about a patient’s concerns with heavy periods, pelvic pain and struggles to conceive, so understanding more about these conditions helps us to know when and how to investigate further and subsequently refer to a specialist.
My guest today is Dr I-Ferne Tan, who is both a reproductive surgeon and fertility specialist, working at Royal North Shore and Mater hospitals, in Sydney.
She is an expert in hysteroscopy and is one of the very few gynecologists in Australia able to perform an awake hysteroscopy to treat polyps, fibroids, scar tissue, trapped IUDs and miscarriages.

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Today we are diving into a topic that affects millions of men worldwide: male infertility. Often, male infertility is less spoken about when compared with female infertility, due to a lack of awareness and stigma around masculinity.
Interestingly, male infertility is involved in up to half of all couples struggling to conceive.
In this episode, we peel away misconceptions and explore the many factors that can lead to an abnormal semen analysis, including lifestyle contributors such as heat, and alcohol and drug use.
Fertility specialist Dr Kate Burston explains how effective vasectomy reversals can be, and discusses the important role GPs play in testing and taking patient histories before making a referral to a fertility specialist.
Kate provides comprehensive fertility care, with a particular passion for men’s health, working across neighbouring areas of Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Port Stephens, in the Hunter Region of New South Wales.

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In this episode, we take a closer look at how surgical intervention can make a meaningful impact in improving fertility for patients, depending on the type of struggles they are facing.
Joining me is Dr Lionel Reyftmann, who is a gynaecologist, fertility specialist and laparoscopic surgeon. He is a clinical academic at the University of Wollongong and at Wollongong Hospital, in the coastal Illawarra region of New South Wales.
Incredibly, Lionel has pioneered a minimally invasive surgical technique called the fertiloscopy.

Today, he explains how the procedure works and what inspired him to come up with it in the first place. We delve into the rise of robotics and IVF, and if these advancements mean the end of reproductive surgery. Lionel will chat about when GPs should consider referring their patients for surgical assessment, and the importance of finding a reproductive surgeon who is skilled in both the fertility and surgical aspects of care.

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