The Department of Reproductive Medicine has over the years become an important department of the Ghent University Women's Clinic, next to the departments of Gynecology and Obstetrics.
For a long time the treatment of infertility was one of the many activities in the field of the general gynecology. In particular, the development of the in vitro fertilization (IVF or test tube fertilization) rendered the need to create a separate department. Initiated by prof. Dr. M. Dhont, Head of Department from 1991 to 2007 and founder of the center for infertility, IVF was introduced in 1986 at Ghent University Hospital.
In the early years a small team conducted of only a few dozen treatments per year. Meanwhile, the Department of Reproductive Medicine has become a center in full expansion, with more than 4,000 treatment cycles per year.
The expertise of the Department of Reproductive Medicine at Ghent University Hospital is known worldwide and attracts not only domestic but also many foreign patients.
Currently, about 40 percent of all patients come from abroad. Mostly from The Netherlands, but also patients from France, England, the USA, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece, Germany and even India, Indonesia and several African countries have found their way to our center, now headed by Prof. Dr. P. De Sutter.
Although, the Department of Reproductive Medicine has grown significantly over the years, and our IVF laboratory is technological at top level, our priority still is the patient. A holistic approach where a warm and supportive fertility care is provided is our key signature.
Relevant experience and activities:
Ghent University Hospital will be represented by Dr. K. Tilleman, post-doctoral fellow and quality manager of the Department of Reproductive Medicine. After obtaining a PhD in biomarker research, she joined the department of reproductive medicine at Ghent University Hospital in November 2009 to work as a quality control manager and started in 2014 research on fertility preservation. She is deputy of the ESHRE special interest group on quality and safety in ART, and is Belgian representative taking part in 3rd ed. Of the guide on quality and safety of tissues and cells issued by the EDQM.