A woman in Australia has unknowingly given birth to a stranger’s baby after a fertility clinic mistakenly implanted the wrong embryos. The incident occurred at Monash IVF in Brisbane, Queensland, due to human error.
CEO Michael Knaap apologized on behalf of the clinic, expressing regret over the mistake. “We are truly sorry for what has happened,” he said, adding that the clinic was devastated by the error.
The problem was discovered in February when the birth parents requested the transfer of their remaining embryos. Monash IVF confirmed that one of the embryos had been thawed and implanted into the wrong woman, resulting in the birth.
An investigation is ongoing, and the clinic has assured that this appears to be an isolated case. Monash IVF has also reported the incident to relevant regulators and offered support to affected patients.
This is the second major issue for Monash IVF, following a A$56 million settlement last year for the destruction of viable embryos due to faulty genetic testing.
IVF (in vitro fertilization) involves fertilizing eggs outside the body before implanting embryos into the uterus. While expensive, the procedure has helped thousands of families, with 20,690 IVF babies born in Australia and New Zealand in 2021.
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