Australian woman gave birth to stranger's baby after 'human error' at fertility clinic
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A woman in Australia unknowingly gave birth to a stranger's baby after she received another patient's embryo from her in vitro fertilisation (IVF) clinic due to "human error," the clinic said.
The mix-up was discovered in February, when the clinic in the city of Brisbane found that the birth parents had one too many embryos in storage, said the provider, Monash IVF, in a statement supplied Friday.
Staff discovered an embryo from another patient had been mistakenly thawed and transferred to the birth mother, a spokesperson said.
Related
Fertility treatments are becoming more common in Europe. But who can access them?
Australia news outlets reported the baby was born in 2024. Monash IVF didn't confirm how old the child was.
The company, one of Australia's biggest IVF providers, said an initial investigation had not uncovered any other such errors. Its statement didn't identify the patients involved or divulge details about the child's custody.
"All of us at Monash IVF are devastated and we apologise to everyone involved," said CEO Michael Knaap.
"We will continue to support the patients through this extremely distressing time".
The "human error" was made "despite strict laboratory safety protocols being in place," the statement said. The company said it had reported the episode to the relevant regulator in the state of Queensland.
Related
Woman sues fertility clinic after giving birth to someone else's baby
Monash IVF opened in 1971 and sees patients in dozens of locations throughout Australia.
Last year, the firm settled a class-action lawsuit from more than 700 patients, making no admission of liability, after claims its clinics destroyed potentially viable embryos.
The clinic paid a settlement of $56 million AUD (€32.7 million).
Risks of embryo mix-ups
Rare cases of embryo mix-ups have been reported before, including in the United States, Britain, Israel, and Europe.
A woman in the US state of Georgia in February
filed a lawsuit
against a fertility clinic after she gave birth to a stranger's baby.
In that case, Krystena Murray realized the error after the baby's birth because she and her sperm donor were both white and the child was Black. Murray said she wanted to raise the baby but voluntarily gave the 5-month-old to his biological parents after she was told she would not win a legal fight for his custody.
Related
Fresh embryo transfers linked to higher birth rates in women struggling to conceive with IVF
In Australia, each state makes its own laws and rules governing the use of IVF, which advocates say puts patients at risk of error or oversight failings.
ADVERTISEMENT
Australia's states and territories "need to see if their regulations are up to scratch," the Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth told the Today news program Friday.
"Confidence needs to be brought back and it's imperative that happens".
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Australian woman gave birth to stranger's baby after 'human error' at fertility clinic
ADVERTISEMENT A woman in Australia unknowingly gave birth to a stranger's baby after she received another patient's embryo from her in vitro fertilisation (IVF) clinic due to "human error," the clinic said. The mix-up was discovered in February, when the clinic in the city of Brisbane found that the birth parents had one too many embryos in storage, said the provider, Monash IVF, in a statement supplied Friday. Staff discovered an embryo from another patient had been mistakenly thawed and transferred to the birth mother, a spokesperson said. Related Fertility treatments are becoming more common in Europe. But who can access them? Australia news outlets reported the baby was born in 2024. Monash IVF didn't confirm how old the child was. The company, one of Australia's biggest IVF providers, said an initial investigation had not uncovered any other such errors. Its statement didn't identify the patients involved or divulge details about the child's custody. "All of us at Monash IVF are devastated and we apologise to everyone involved," said CEO Michael Knaap. "We will continue to support the patients through this extremely distressing time". The "human error" was made "despite strict laboratory safety protocols being in place," the statement said. The company said it had reported the episode to the relevant regulator in the state of Queensland. Related Woman sues fertility clinic after giving birth to someone else's baby Monash IVF opened in 1971 and sees patients in dozens of locations throughout Australia. Last year, the firm settled a class-action lawsuit from more than 700 patients, making no admission of liability, after claims its clinics destroyed potentially viable embryos. The clinic paid a settlement of $56 million AUD (€32.7 million). Risks of embryo mix-ups Rare cases of embryo mix-ups have been reported before, including in the United States, Britain, Israel, and Europe. A woman in the US state of Georgia in February filed a lawsuit against a fertility clinic after she gave birth to a stranger's baby. In that case, Krystena Murray realized the error after the baby's birth because she and her sperm donor were both white and the child was Black. Murray said she wanted to raise the baby but voluntarily gave the 5-month-old to his biological parents after she was told she would not win a legal fight for his custody. Related Fresh embryo transfers linked to higher birth rates in women struggling to conceive with IVF In Australia, each state makes its own laws and rules governing the use of IVF, which advocates say puts patients at risk of error or oversight failings. ADVERTISEMENT Australia's states and territories "need to see if their regulations are up to scratch," the Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth told the Today news program Friday. "Confidence needs to be brought back and it's imperative that happens".
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