A woman has given birth to a stranger’s child after the wrong embryo was mistakenly transferred at a leading Australian IVF clinic.
Monash IVF has apologised for the bungle at its Brisbane clinic, which is said was the result of “human error”.
The fertility company was alerted to the mistake in February when the birth parents requested to transfer their remaining frozen embryos to another provider.
Monash IVF immediately launched an investigation which found strict laboratory safety measures to safeguard the embryos were followed.
“Instead of finding the expected number of embryos, an additional embryo remained in storage for the birth parents,” a Monash IVF spokesperson said.
“The 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.”
Chief executive Michael Knaap says the clinic is supporting both families involved.
An independent investigation into the incident has also been commissioned by Monash IVF.
