Dr David Greening

06/06/2026

🎙️ In front of the microphone rather than behind the consulting desk!

It was a pleasure to welcome Jacob McKinnon and his podcast team to my Bowral clinic yesterday to record and film an episode for the Jacob McKinnon Podcast.

We had a wide-ranging conversation covering medicine, life, and the journey that has brought me to where I am today. I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion and the opportunity to share some of my story.

The episode won't be released for a few weeks yet, but here's a behind-the-scenes glimpse from the day. I look forward to sharing it with you when it goes live.

City Fertility Jacob McKinnon

02/06/2026

This is my lovely daughter, Siobhan.

Even the children of fertility specialists can face fertility challenges.

A few years ago, Siobhan came to me wanting to better understand her fertility and asked if we could do some basic testing. To our surprise, the results showed she had Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI), a condition that occurs before premature menopause. Her FSH level was elevated, a sign that the pituitary gland is working harder to stimulate ovaries that are beginning to lose function.

We moved quickly. Under the care of my colleague, Dr David Wilkinson in Melbourne, an experienced fertility specialist, Siobhan began the egg-freezing process.

It wasn't easy. She proved to be a very challenging IVF stimulation patient, and it took multiple cycles to achieve a result. Eventually, we successfully froze 23 eggs. Later, we created embryos using her partner's s***m. From all of that effort, one embryo was transferred, and it worked.

Today, Siobhan is 37 weeks pregnant, and on the weekend I travelled to Melbourne to spend some time with her. It was wonderful.

This journey is a reminder that fertility issues can affect anyone, regardless of their background or family history.

I'm looking forward to becoming a grandfather, but even more than that, I'm excited to see Siobhan and her partner begin the incredible journey of parenthood.

29/05/2026

One of the things I’m most passionate about is making high-quality fertility care more accessible for people in Sydney’s South West.

I consult from our purpose-built clinic at The George Centre in Gregory Hills every Monday, Wednesday and Friday - offering local access to specialist fertility care, IVF services and reproductive medicine, without needing to travel into the CBD.

Located within the City Fertility Gregory Hills centre, our clinic is connected to a state-of-the-art IVF facility, onsite day hospital and advanced fertility laboratory, allowing patients to access comprehensive care in one convenient location.

As the only fertility specialist consulting in the Gregory Hills area, I’m proud to support individuals and couples across the Macarthur and South West Sydney communities with personalised, compassionate and evidence-based care.

Whether you’re just starting to explore your options, navigating IVF, managing recurrent miscarriage or seeking support for complex fertility concerns, my goal is to help make your journey feel supported and accessible.

I also welcome single people and same-sex couples, providing inclusive fertility care tailored to your individual pathway to parenthood.

📍 Gregory Hills: Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays
💻 Telehealth consultations also available

If you’re ready to take the next step, my team and I are here to help.

27/05/2026

IVF Up Close: A Hatching Blastocyst.

This is a beautifully hatching blastocyst just before embryo transfer at our City Fertility Gregory Hills clinic.

No matter how many times I witness it, the IVF process never stops amazing me, and neither does nature itself. A blastocyst truly “knows” exactly what to do. From a compact day-4 embryo, it begins pumping fluid into itself and differentiates into two remarkable cell types: the inner cell mass (ICM), seen here as the darker cluster of cells that will become the baby, and the surrounding trophectoderm, which forms the placenta and membranes. This incredible stage is called blastulation, which is why we call it a blastocyst.

Next comes hatching: the embryo emerging from its protective shell, the zona pellucida, in preparation for implantation. In this image, the embryo is beautifully hatching from the lower left side - absolutely textbook perfect.

Now we cross our fingers and hope for the very best.

City Fertility

24/05/2026

I spent the weekend at the SEED conference in Sydney hearing from leaders in genetics, reproductive medicine and bioethics about some of the most significant advances shaping the future of healthcare.

One area of discussion was CRISPR gene-editing technology, which uses specialised enzymes to precisely target and modify DNA. While its potential to treat disease is remarkable, it also raises important ethical and regulatory questions, particularly when considering the difference between editing somatic (individual) cells and germline cells, where genetic changes could be passed on to future generations. The field continues to evolve rapidly, as do the frameworks designed to ensure these technologies are used responsibly.

A particularly thought-provoking presentation came from Professor Julian Savulescu on the ethical implications of polygenic risk scoring in embryo selection. PGT-P involves analysing multiple genetic variants from an embryo biopsy to estimate the likelihood of developing complex conditions later in life, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, some cancers and certain psychiatric disorders.

Professor Savulescu and I share a connection to Monash University, where he completed his studies and I undertook my Masters in Bioethics, before he went on to a distinguished academic career at Oxford University.

While I remain uncertain that PGT-P will become mainstream clinical practice, largely because most IVF patients have relatively few embryos available for selection, the technology is already here and raises important questions.

What information should prospective parents have access to? How should future disease risk be interpreted? And what are the implications of making decisions today based on probabilities that may not manifest for decades?

These are complex issues with no simple answers, making it invaluable to hear both the scientific evidence and the ethical perspectives from experts at the forefront of the field.

This is certainly a space to watch closely.

20/05/2026

I recently came across an interesting finding while investigating a couple experiencing recurrent miscarriage (RM). We often carry out a wide range of tests for this difficult condition, and in this case, the woman’s testosterone level was extraordinarily low - essentially unrecordable.

After reviewing the medical literature, I found strong evidence linking low testosterone levels with recurrent miscarriage and poor placental development. Adequate testosterone appears to play an important role in supporting a healthy pregnancy. The next question was: what could be causing such a profound deficiency?

After a thorough review, a commonly prescribed antidepressant emerged as the most likely explanation. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are highly effective medications for depression, but they are also known to cause significant reductions in libido in both men and women, possibly through effects on testosterone levels. Individuals can respond very differently to medications, and in this case the effect appeared to be particularly marked.

I’m now working through the best way to manage this and hopefully help this couple achieve an ongoing healthy pregnancy. Yesterday felt like one of those important “aha” moments - and as a doctor, helping to solve complex medical puzzles remains one of the most rewarding parts of the job.

17/05/2026

16/05/2026

A wonderful weekend in Brisbane raising awareness about infertility and male reproductive health.

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the Rabbitohs game as a guest of the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the NRL. Thank you for the generous hospitality and support.

This morning, live from Howard Smith Wharves on Weekend Today with Channel 9, I joined Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly to discuss the partnership between City Fertility and the Rabbitohs to help raise awareness around male fertility.

It was actually a lot of fun filming the segment, and Blake, along with presenters Alison and Michael, were fantastic to work with and made me feel very relaxed throughout the interview. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to represent doctors and City Fertility and hopefully help get an important message across clearly.

Close to 50% of infertility cases involve male factors, highlighting the importance of encouraging men to better understand their reproductive health and seek early assessment where appropriate. City Fertility is currently offering a free fertility test as part of this important initiative.

You can learn more at cityfertility.com.au

I’m now looking forward to exploring Brisbane over the weekend and am very grateful for the opportunity and experience.

Thank you again to Channel 9, the Rabbitohs and the entire City Fertility team for their support and collaboration.