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Perth Now
3 days ago
- Business
- Perth Now
Monash IVF admits second major embryo mix up
Monash IVF Group has been forced to disclose another incident in which they transferred the wrong embryo into a woman, just months after a similar incident was exposed. In a statement released to the ASX on Tuesday, Monash Group advised the incident involved transferring a patient's own embryo to her, instead of inserting the embryo of her same-sex partner. The Melbourne-based woman is now being supported by the reproductive giant. 'Monash IVF has extended its sincere apologies to the affected couple, and we continue to support them,' it said in a statement. In a statement to the ASX, Monash IVF said the incident is being investigated and the company and safeguards are being introduced. Its shares were hammered 25 per cent lower to a near five-year low of 55.5¢ after news of the bungle broke. 'Commencing immediately, Monash IVF will implement interim additional verification processes and patient confirmation safeguards over and above normal practice,' Monash IVF Group said in their statement. Two months ago, the fertility specialists were forced to admit they had mixed up the delivery of embryos at their Brisbane centre and a woman had given birth to a strangers baby. 'Monash IVF is conducting an internal investigation into the incident. It has also extended the scope of the independent review being conducted by Fiona McLeod AO SC in relation to the Brisbane incident, noting that the different incidents occurred some years apart.,' the statement added. 'Whilst industry-leading electronic witness systems have and are being rolled out across Monash IVF, there remain instances and circumstances whereby manual witnessing is required. 'Monash IVF has disclosed the incident to the relevant assisted reproductive technology ART regulators, namely the Reproduction Technology Accreditation Committee certifying body and Victorian Health Regulator. 'In addition, Monash IVF has notified it's insurers and expects the incident to fall within the scope of its insurance coverage,' the company noted. The Brisbane incident involved a woman who gave birth to another couple's child after being implanted with the wrong embryo by Monash IVF. The error was discovered in February, when the couple requested that their remaining embryos be transferred to another provider. It is understood that the child, conceived through IVF in early 2023, is now a toddler. While the case was described as the first of its kind in Australia, US lawyer Adam Wolf, who has represented numerous families affected by IVF mix-ups, stated at the time he believed it was unlikely to be an isolated event. Shares in Monash IVF have plummeted off news of the second major procedure bungle, dropping 21 per cent and settling at 58c, which is their lowest value since November 2020.
West Australian
3 days ago
- Business
- West Australian
Monash IVF confirms second embryo transfer mishap in statement to ASX, additional safeguards to be introduced
Monash IVF Group has been forced to disclose another incident in which they transferred the wrong embryo into a woman, just months after a similar incident was exposed. In a statement released to the ASX on Tuesday, Monash Group advised the incident involved transferring a patient's own embryo to her, instead of inserting the embryo of her same-sex partner. The Melbourne-based woman is now being supported by the reproductive giant. 'Monash IVF has extended its sincere apologies to the affected couple, and we continue to support them,' it said in a statement. In a statement to the ASX, Monash IVF said the incident is being investigated and the company and safeguards are being introduced. 'Commencing immediately, Monash IVF will implement interim additional verification processes and patient confirmation safeguards over and above normal practice,' Monash IVF Group said in their statement. Two months ago, the fertility specialists were forced to admit they had mixed up the delivery of embryos at their Brisbane centre and a woman had given birth to a strangers baby. 'Monash IVF is conducting an internal investigation into the incident. It has also extended the scope of the independent review being conducted by Fiona McLeod AO SC in relation to the Brisbane incident, noting that the different incidents occurred some years apart.,' the statement added. 'Whilst industry-leading electronic witness systems have and are being rolled out across Monash IVF, there remain instances and circumstances whereby manual witnessing is required. 'Monash IVF has disclosed the incident to the relevant assisted reproductive technology ART regulators, namely the Reproduction Technology Accreditation Committee certifying body and Victorian Health Regulator. 'In addition, Monash IVF has notified it's insurers and expects the incident to fall within the scope of its insurance coverage,' the company noted. The Brisbane incident involved a woman who gave birth to another couple's child after being implanted with the wrong embryo by Monash IVF. The error was discovered in February, when the couple requested that their remaining embryos be transferred to another provider. It is understood that the child, conceived through IVF in early 2023, is now a toddler. While the case was described as the first of its kind in Australia, US lawyer Adam Wolf, who has represented numerous families affected by IVF mix-ups, stated at the time he believed it was unlikely to be an isolated event. Shares in Monash IVF have plummeted off news of the second major procedure bungle, dropping 21 per cent and settling at 58c, which is their lowest value since November 2020.
Mercury
29-04-2025
- Health
- Mercury
Australian IVF mix up ‘probably not the first time'
Don't miss out on the headlines from Fertility. Followed categories will be added to My News. The horror IVF mixup that led to a Queensland woman giving birth to a stranger's baby is likely not the only Australian case as claimed, a leading IVF lawyer has warned. It was revealed earlier this month a Brisbane woman had given birth to another couple's child after fertility giant Monash IVF impregnated her with the wrong embryo in 2023. The devastating error was only discovered when the couple asked to transfer their remaining embryos to another IVF provider in February. The case has been described as the first of its kind in Australia but leading lawyer Adam Wolf who has represented eight couples affected by IVF bungles in the United States said there were likely more families unknowingly in the same situation. Mr Wolf, a partner at Periffer Wolf Carr Kane Conway & Wise, acted in the high-profile case of a California couple who were involved in a devastating embryo mix up that led to them and another couple having each other's children. 'A word of caution I would have is in saying this is the first time this has happened in Australia,' Mr Wolf said of the Brisbane case. 'It's probably not the first time in Australia. It's the first time that it has been brought to light publicly.' Monash IVF blamed 'human error' for the mix up and it's understood the family is considering legal action. 'At least in the states the way that this typically comes to flight is that you have a child who was born of a different race than you expected and that is what tips off the birth parents that something has gone awry,' Mr Wolf said. 'So there are no doubt instances where this is happening around the world where people just don't know.' Mr Wolf, who has represented both genetic and birth parents in IVF cases, said there was little oversight and regulation for IVF clinics in the United States and no requirement for providers to report these kinds of errors. 'This is a horrific tragedy for everybody involved, for the birth parents, the genetic parents and the child, there are no winners in the situation, only losers,' he said. 'There is so much bonding that goes on in utero and then the first months of a child's life, to then rip the child away from the birth mother it's horrific for both the birth mother and the child. 'Conversely it's unfathomable to virtually all of us to try to understand this from the perspective of the genetic parents who have a child who is being raised by somebody who is a complete stranger to them, not knowing if their child is getting proper medical care, nutrients, love, caring attention. It's truly traumatic for everybody.' Originally published as Australian IVF mix up 'probably not the first time'
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Coastal Fertility Specialists sued over IVF mixup, custody suit
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — A former patient of Coastal Fertility Specialists has filed a lawsuit against the company for implanting the wrong embryo into her uterus, resulting in her carrying and giving birth to another couple's biological child. Coastal Fertility Specialists operates fertility clinics in South Carolina and Georgia. According to the suit, Krystena Murray, a White woman who selected a sperm donor who was also White, delivered a baby who was Black. Despite the clinic's mistake, Murray wanted to keep her baby, but lost custody five months after giving birth. She has not seen her child since. The lawsuit was filed in Georgia state court, in Savannah, by Adam Wolf of the law firm Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane Conway & Wise. 'This has destroyed me,' Murray said. 'I'm heartsick; I'm emotionally broken. Nothing can express the shock and violation upon learning that your doctor put a stranger's embryo into your body. To carry a baby, fall in love with him, deliver him, and build the uniquely special bond between mother and baby, all to have him taken away. I'll never fully recover from this.' 'Coastal Fertility Specialists made a very serious error, and the consequences are life-altering' Adam Wolf, partner at Peiffer Wolf, said. 'This should never happen in a fertility clinic.' 'Unfortunately, the United States does not have meaningful fertility industry oversight. Until IVF clinics are subject to real regulations, reporting requirements and mandatory certification programs for lab staff, these mishaps will continue to occur.' Murray attended many appointments over the course of several months and underwent numerous medical tests in preparation for the procedure. She was prescribed drugs to stimulate egg development and ovulation. She went to Coastal Fertility Specialists' Savannah facility nearly every other day for follow-up examinations and blood tests. On the day of the egg-retrieval surgery, Murray had several eggs extracted and was in pain. Coastal Fertility then used her retrieved eggs and created embryos using the donor's sperm. In May 2023, Coastal Fertility transferred an embryo to Murray. As she later learned, the embryo transferred into her uterus belonged to strangers who also used Coastal Fertility to get pregnant. Murray delivered a baby boy on December 29, 2023. However, upon seeing her child, she knew something was wrong. Murray is a fair-skinned, White woman who had chosen a sperm donor with a similar appearance, the baby whom she carried in her womb and delivered was a dark-skinned, African American baby. While the suit states that Murray recognized the error in the baby she had delivered, she nonetheless raised the child as her own for several months. Still wanting answers, she had a DNA test administered in Jan. 2024 that resulted in the baby being, in fact, unrelated to Murray. Two months later, Coastal Fertility suspected that it had transferred the stranger couple's embryo to Murray. They broke the news to the stranger couple, who in turn sued Murray to obtain custody of the child. This required Murray to hire family-law counsel in multiple states. A subsequent DNA test confirmed that the stranger couple were the genetic parents of Murray's family-law attorneys came to the conclusion that she was going to lose the family-law case, and she ultimately lose the then gave up the baby, who she had raised for five months, during a family-court hearing in May 2024. She has not seen the child since. News 3 contacted Coastal Fertility Specialists, who provided the following statement regarding the suit: 'Coastal Fertility Specialists deeply regrets the distress caused by an unprecedentederror that resulted in an embryo transfer mix-up. While this ultimately led to the birth of ahealthy child, we recognize the profound impact this situation has had on the affectedfamilies, and we extend our sincerest apologies. 'We're a family business dedicated to helping individuals and couples build their for that reason that we hold ourselves to the highest standards of care andresponsibility. This incident, while isolated in our 15-year history, does not reflect thelevel of excellence and trust we strive to uphold. This was an isolated event with no further patients affected. The same day this error was discovered we immediately conducted an in-depth review and put additional safeguards in place to further protect patients and to ensure that such an incident does not happen again. 'These additional measures reinforce our already stringent protocols and reflect our commitment to patient safety, transparency, and trust. We are doing everything we can to make things right for those affected by this incident. We will continue to uphold the integrity of our practice and our commitment to supporting families in their journey to parenthood.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
