Glossary of terms
Term/Acronym | Definition |
|---|---|
ART provider | A Queensland Health licensed provider of assisted reproductive technology (ART) services in Queensland. Each clinic in Queensland is an individual ART provider. |
ART procedure | Any procedure that procures or attempts to procure pregnancy other than by sexual intercourse. It includes procedures that happen in a laboratory. It does not include self‑insemination. |
ART service | The delivery of an ART procedure, and obtaining/creating and storing sperm, eggs or embryos for an ART procedure for a fee or reward. |
ART user | A person who has or intends to use an ART service. |
Assisted reproductive technology (ART) | All treatments and procedures to help with fertility and create pregnancy without sexual intercourse. It does not include self‑insemination. |
Chief Executive | The Director-General of Queensland Health, or the senior role/s within Queensland Health to whom they have delegated their decision-making authority. |
Counselling (ART‑specific) | Professional support from a counsellor for people involved in ART (donors, gamete providers, intended parents and their spouse, if any). The purpose is to support people to understand the legal and emotional impacts associated with ART and make informed choices before donating, obtaining or using sperm, eggs or embryos, or receiving another ART Service. |
Donated embryo | An embryo that is donated after its creation for use by someone other than the person who provided the embryo or their spouse. |
Donated gamete | Is both:
|
Donor | A person who has or will donate sperm, eggs or embryos for the purposes of assisted reproductive technology procedures. |
Donor-conceived person | A person born as a result of donated sperm or eggs, or a donated embryo. |
Donor offspring | Donor’s own child(ren). |
Donor-conceived sibling/s | Are any two persons who are both donor-conceived born using sperm or eggs from the same donor. |
Embryo | A human egg fertilised by human sperm between 0-8 weeks from the first cell (mitotic) division. |
Embryo transfer | A specialised technique in which an embryo created in-vitro is transferred to a uterus for the purposes of human reproduction. |
External review | A formal review by the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) of decisions made by Queensland Health. |
Family | A person, their spouse (if they have one), and their children. A previous spouse and their children form a separate family. |
Family Limit | Maximum number of donor-related Australian families that can be created using sperm, eggs or embryos from a single donor. |
Gamete | A human sperm or a human egg. |
Gamete provider | A person who has or will have their sperm or eggs collected. |
Internal Review | A formal review by the Chief Executive of Queensland Health of decisions made under the Assisted Reproductive Technology Act 2024. |
Obtain (sperm or egg) | To obtain someone’s sperm or egg directly from them. |
Other Reportable Event | An event outlined in the Assisted Reproductive Technology Act 2024 or Assisted Reproductive Technology Regulation 2026 that a Queensland Health licensed ART provider must report to Queensland Health within 7 to 30 days depending on the type of event. Learn more about other reportable events. |
Prescribed Accreditation | As at 30 January 2026, the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee. |
Prohibition Notice | A notice issued by Queensland Health prohibiting someone from delivering some or all ART services. |
Queensland Health licenced provider | An ART provider that holds a current licence issued by Queensland Health. |
Serious Adverse Event | A serious incident that a Queensland Health licensed ART provider must report in 7 days of the event happening, or from when the ART provider becomes aware of the event. Learn more about serious adverse events. |
Sex Selection | The selection and transfer of an embryo based on genetic sex. |
Spouse | The person someone is married to, or they live with in a genuine couple relationship like a marriage (a de facto partner), or the person they are in a registered civil partnership with. It does not include a spouse from whom the person is separated and is living separately and apart. |
Storage (of sperm, eggs and/or embryos) | Where an ART provider keeps sperm, eggs or embryos frozen for possible later use in fertility treatments, with consent of the gamete provider or embryo donor. |
Supervision (of ART procedure) | Provided by a registered medical practitioner, who must oversee (directly or indirectly) any ART service, ensuring it is carried out by qualified staff safely under their direction. |
Term of Licence | The amount of time in years an ART provider is licensed to deliver ART services in Queensland. The term of a Queensland Health ART Licence may be 1 or 3 years. |