A major Australian IVF clinic has apologized for giving the wrong embryo to a woman who then gave birth to another couple\u2019s baby, blaming the mix-up on \u201chuman error.\u201d <\/p>\n
Monash IVF, which operates more than 100 clinics across Australia, said in a statement staff were \u201cdevastated\u201d by the mistake, believed to be the first of its kind in Australia. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s not clear whether either of the couples suspected a mix-up before the clinic discovered the error in February. <\/p>\n
\u201cOn behalf of Monash IVF, I want to say how truly sorry I am for what has happened,\u201d said CEO Michael Knaap in the statement. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe will continue to support the patients through this extremely distressing time,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n
Monash IVF has not named the couples involved, nor has it responded to questions about when the baby was born, or who has custody of the child, out of respect for the couples\u2019 privacy. <\/p>\n
The error occurred at Monash IVF\u2019s Brisbane clinic, in the state of Queensland, where the law recognizes the birth mother and her partner as the child\u2019s legal parents. <\/p>\n
Alex Polyakov, a clinical associate professor at the University of Melbourne and a fertility consultant at Melbourne\u2019s Royal Women\u2019s Hospital, said it was the first incident of its kind in four decades of IVF in Australia. <\/p>\n
\u201cAustralia\u2019s regulatory framework for assisted reproductive technology is internationally recognized for its stringency and thoroughness,\u201d he said in written comments. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe probability of such an event occurring is so low that it defies statistical quantification.\u201d <\/p>\n
The mistake was discovered in February after the birth parents requested to transfer their remaining embryos to another IVF provider. <\/p>\n
After an extra embryo was found in their storage compartment, an internal inquiry discovered they\u2019d received the wrong embryo. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s not clear how the error was made but according to the Monash IVF statement, another patient\u2019s embryo was \u201cincorrectly thawed and transferred to the birth parents.\u201d <\/p>\n
Knaap, the company\u2019s CEO, said he was confident it was \u201can isolated incident.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cWe are reinforcing all our safeguards across our clinics \u2013 we also commissioned an independent investigation and are committed to implementing its recommendations in full,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n
The Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) said in a statement that it was \u201caware of the serious incident\u201d and its immediate thoughts were with the families affected. <\/p>\n
It said such incidents are rare and require \u201cthe highest standards of transparency.\u201d <\/p>\n
Similar errors have been made in the United States, including a recent case where a White woman discovered she\u2019d been given the wrong embryo after giving birth to a Black infant. <\/p>\n
This is not the first time Monash IVF has been accused of wrongdoing. <\/p>\n
Last year, the company agreed to pay 56 million Australian dollars ($35 million) to settle a class action suit brought by 700 former patients. <\/p>\n
The patients alleged the company didn\u2019t disclose the risk of false positives in genetic testing on embryos, which led them to discard potentially viable embryos. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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