Just two months after Monash IVF admitted to a “devastating” mix-up that resulted in a Brisbane woman giving birth to another couple’s biological child, the fertility company has reported a second error. This time in Melbourne.
“An incident at the Clayton laboratory… occurred on Thursday 5 June where a patient’s own embryo was incorrectly transferred to that patient, contrary to the treatment plan which designated the transfer of an embryo of the patient’s partner,” the publicly-listed company said in an ASX announcement.
“Monash IVF has extended its sincere apologies to the affected couple, and we continue to support them.”
When the first error was made public in April of this year, Monash IVF CEO Michael Knapp said the company was “confident that this is an isolated incident.”
Monash IVF says it will “implement interim additional verification processes and patient confirmation safeguards over and above normal practice and electronic witness systems” following this second incident.
Victoria’s Health Minister, Mary-Anne Thomas, told Channel Nine that Monash IVF’s clinical governance standards “are not what they should be.”
“To not be respected, not have your treatment plan followed, I can’t really imagine how that couple are feeling right now,” she said.
Not an “isolated incident”
Monash IVF, in announcing this second error, noted “the different incidents occurred some years apart.”
On April 10, the fertility provider revealed two Queensland families had been victims of an IVF mix-up. It resulted in one couple giving birth to the biological child of another patient.
In February, the birth parents requested that Monash IVF transfer their remaining frozen embryos to another provider. It was then that the error was discovered. The age of the baby has not been made public. However, the ABC has reported that the Brisbane incident occurred in 2023.
Monash IVF released minimal details about the Queensland incident to protect the privacy of the families involved. However, they issued a statement outlining the error, which has been reported to regulators.
“Our focus is on supporting our patients through this extremely distressing time. We are devastated about what has happened and apologise to everyone involved. We are truly sorry,” Monash IVF said in a statement on April 10.
How was the IVF mix-up discovered?
The Brisbane mistake came to light when a Monash IVF staff member acted on the birth couple’s request.
“Instead of finding the expected number of embryos, an additional embryo remained in storage for the birth parents,” Monash IVF said.
An investigation “confirmed that an embryo from a different patient had previously been incorrectly thawed and transferred to the birth parents, which resulted in the birth of a child.”
Monash IVF’s medical director met with the birth parents and the patient whose embryo was incorrectly thawed.
“All of us at Monash IVF are devastated and we apologise to everyone involved,” Mr Knapp said in April. The company has undertaken additional audits and is reviewing and reinforcing safeguards across its clinics. “We’re confident that this is an isolated incident,” he said in the April statement.
How common are IVF mix-ups?
The Melbourne error is the second reported mix-up of this sort in Australia. This Brisbane error is the first known embryo mix-up in Australia that resulted in a birth. However, similar errors have occurred overseas.
Earlier this year, The Weekly reported on the “irreparable damage” American wedding photographer Krystena Murray suffered after a similar mix-up. She had to hand her five-month-old son over to another couple in Savannah, Georgia, following almost two years of fertility treatment at Coastal Fertility Specialists in the US.
In 2020, three US couples were embroiled in a harrowing legal battle after a Korean-American woman living in New York gave birth to two babies who were not related to her, or each other.
Monash IVF has commissioned Fiona McLeod SC to conduct an independent investigation into the incident.
A spokesperson for Queensland Health said it would work with Monash IVF to reinforce safeguards in its Queensland clinics. And ensure that any risks are identified and mitigated.
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