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A DUTCH IVF clinic has launched an investigation after discovering that up to 26 women may have been fertilised by the wrong sperm cells.
A “procedural error” between mid-April 2015 and mid-November 2016 during the in vitro fertilisation was to blame, the University Medical Centre in Utrecht said in a statement.
“During fertilisation, sperm cells from one treatment couple may have ended up with the egg cells of 26 other couples,” said the clinic.
“Therefore there’s a chance that the egg cells have been fertilised by sperm other than that of the intended father.”
Although the chance of that happening was small, the possibility “could not be excluded,” said the centre.
Half the women who underwent fertility treatment have become pregnant or already had their babies.
26 couples affected
“For some of the 26 couples, frozen embryos are still available but the chance remains that they too have been fertilised by the sperm from a man other than the intended father,” the UMC said.
The couples have been informed.
“The UMC’s board regrets that the couples involved had to receive this news and will do everything within its powers to give clarity on the issue as soon as possible.”
In vitro fertilisation involves a series of procedures used to treat fertility or genetic problems and assist with conception.
During IVF, mature eggs are collected from a woman’s ovaries and fertilised by sperm in a laboratory.
The fertilised egg or eggs are then implanted in the uterus. One cycle of IVF takes about two weeks.
But mix-ups do occur, including one in 2012 when a Singapore mother sued a clinic for alleged negligence after it mixed up her husband’s sperm with that of a stranger.
In that case, the ethnic Chinese woman first suspected that something was amiss when her baby, who was born in 2010, had markedly different skin tone and hair colour from her Caucasian husband, news reports at the time said.
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I take it the Dutch have never heard the old saying “Never keep all your eggs in one basket.”
What a cock up
Far from it
Have lived in Netherlands for nearly two years – the customer service (bars, restaurants, shops, pharmacies) is terrible – interesting that it even extends to IVF clinics.
Who’s your daddy?
Bad seamanship
How come?
test tube infidelity..hmm…something like that…
Cover up at the fertility clinic. Now there is a statement you don’t except to hear from that type of clinic
Purchasing someone else’s body fluids. Yuck.
@Mr Snuffleupagus: is it the purchasing part or the body fluid part you are taking issue with?
Someone had it in for them!
That’s a seriously sticky situation.
Knowing the Dutch it will be abortions all round. They have scant regard for human life.
Sure as long as they got fertilised by something the procedure was a success really
What about the actual father? It could destroy a marriage. Would the husband be ok raising another man’s child. What rights would the child have to know their actual father? And vice versa! Terrible situation.
They needn’t be short of donors, Dáil Éireann is full of onanists.
Be careful what you wish for
What a cock up.
Who’s the daddy???
have your say