About Fembryo Fertility Clinic

Centre of excellence in Women’s Health and Infertility

At Fembryo Fertility and Gynaecology Clinic we are passionate about women’s health issues – with a focus on fertility and Assisted Reproductive Therapies (ARTs).

Fembryo Fertility and Gynaecology Clinic opened its doors in 1984, historically then known as the Port Elizabeth Infertility Clinic. It was a national milestone in Gynaecology for it was the first private fertility clinic in South Africa. Presently, our facility is a recognised, scientifically up-to-date IVF laboratory, offering all aspects of our discipline with international quality control and success rates.

Interest in fertility started to grow world-wide with the birth of the first IVF baby, Louise Brown, on the 5th of July 1978 in North West England. South Africa followed suite through research under the stewardship of the internationally renowned Professors Tinus Kruger and Jan van der Merwe.

Port Elizabeth was not left behind. Through a partnership between Drs Paul Dalmeyer, André Kriel and the capable Mr Jaco Schoeman, with guidance of the Tygerberg colleagues, first steps were taken to get a private clinic off the ground. The first South African IVF baby was born on 29 April 1984 at Tygerberg Hospital and the first private IVF baby in Port Elizabeth in 1986.

The PE Laboratory/Clinic started in a small room attached to a theatre at the OASIM hospital. A kitchen hot tray was used as a work table; laparoscopic and trans vesical (bladder) aspirations the routine of egg retrieval technique. A garage mouse colony and bovine culture medium were the basic available monitoring equipment. There were no features of a standard, modern laboratory today.

In 2002, the Port Elizabeth Infertility Clinic moved to Life St Georges Hospital. Mr Wilhelm Schoeman joined his father as an embryologist in 2003 and is currently the Lab Director at Fembryo.

In 2006, Dr Danie Botha joined the team. After the three founders retired, Dr Botha took over as Clinic Director and the clinic was renamed as Fembryo Fertility and Gynaecology Clinic. Dr Botha was joined by Drs Wendy Sieg and Debbie Prince. In March 2018, Fembryo relocated to the new premises, 16 and 18 Ascot Road, Mill Park.

Within the quiet surroundings of the old buildings from a previous era, modern and open space consulting rooms have been created with care, combining history with present-day architecture. Fembryo Clinic has a state-of-the-art fertility laboratory, day clinic, and IVF theatre. In the fully equipped licensed day theatre, minor gynaecological procedures are performed on the premises.

Fembryo is also an accredited satellite training facility of Stellenbosch University in the field of Reproductive Medicine.

We are proud members of SASREG (the Southern African Society of Reproductive Medicine and Gynaecological Endoscopy). Dr Danie Botha is a Past President of SASREG and continues to be involved in the sub-speciality, serving this very special field of medicine with passion.