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Egg and sperm mix up at our treatment centre AARGH
AHHHHHH
Article from the times (below) about the mix up of embryo and sperm samples from different couples. !!!! This is is our unit and happened 'earlier this year'. Well our egg collection was January 2009 and we are planning to tranfer the remaining embryo from this procedure this month. The implication is that mistakes are being made and at a time that could have affected us.
These errors came to light becuse the embryos was being tested for an inherited genetic disease and we arent having this technique. It would nt help identify our embryos anyhow.
I have written to them for advice but remain haunted by the whole thing...I havent gone through all this to have someone elses child inadvertantly.
Any thoughts??
X
also posted in LT TTC
Newspaper article follows:-
Women undergoing fertility treatment have had their eggs fertilised with the wrong sperm in a series of mix-ups at one of Britain's most famous hospitals.
Embryos belonging to three couples had to be destroyed and their cycles of treatment abandoned after the errors were discovered at Guy's and St Thomas' hospital in London earlier this year.
Fertility experts say the errors, along with similar mistakes at other hospitals, raise serious concerns about the way IVF clinics are regulated. They believe the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the watchdog, is failing to deal with serious problems.
Critics point out that inspection reports from 2007 and 2008 warned that Guy's and St Thomas' was carrying out risky procedures in the preparation of sperm samples for fertilisation.
A February 2007 report by the HFEA warned that embryologists at the hospital were running the risk of confusing sperm samples from different men by preparing them in the same container. Yet errors were still being made earlier this year.
One of the recent cases was discovered when the embryologist realised she had used a sample from the wrong man to fertilise a patient's eggs.
Within days of this mistake, scientists carrying out tests designed to ensure that babies are free of hereditary diseases found genes showing that the embryos could not belong to the parents they had believed to be the owners.
Sue Avery, consultant embryologist at Birmingham women's hospital and a former chairwoman of the Association of Clinical Embryologists, said the sperm mix-ups at Guy's were ???????very serious???????. She said it was disappointing that clinics had not learnt lessons from the mistakes that had led to the birth of black twins to a white couple in Leeds in 2002.
Despite the repeated mistakes at Guy's and St Thomas' hospital, the HFEA has not carried out an investigation.
Avery said: ???????We would expect in the case of repetition that the HFEA might want to investigate unless they can be thoroughly satisfied that the centre has taken sufficient action.???????
The assisted conception unit at Guy's and St Thomas' hospital said a thorough internal investigation had been carried out and the HFEA was informed of the mistakes.
The HFEA said that while IVF was a delicate procedure and it was impossible to eliminate human error, only 0.5% of treatments resulted in problems.
It added: ???????The HFEA takes incidents very seriously. When incidents are reported to us, we will investigate and take action where necessary. The risk of mix-ups is a serious concern for patients, clinics and the HFEA.???????
[Modified by: J-Jenko on 01 May 2009 14:48:22 ]
Article from the times (below) about the mix up of embryo and sperm samples from different couples. !!!! This is is our unit and happened 'earlier this year'. Well our egg collection was January 2009 and we are planning to tranfer the remaining embryo from this procedure this month. The implication is that mistakes are being made and at a time that could have affected us.
These errors came to light becuse the embryos was being tested for an inherited genetic disease and we arent having this technique. It would nt help identify our embryos anyhow.
I have written to them for advice but remain haunted by the whole thing...I havent gone through all this to have someone elses child inadvertantly.
Any thoughts??
X
also posted in LT TTC
Newspaper article follows:-
Women undergoing fertility treatment have had their eggs fertilised with the wrong sperm in a series of mix-ups at one of Britain's most famous hospitals.
Embryos belonging to three couples had to be destroyed and their cycles of treatment abandoned after the errors were discovered at Guy's and St Thomas' hospital in London earlier this year.
Fertility experts say the errors, along with similar mistakes at other hospitals, raise serious concerns about the way IVF clinics are regulated. They believe the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the watchdog, is failing to deal with serious problems.
Critics point out that inspection reports from 2007 and 2008 warned that Guy's and St Thomas' was carrying out risky procedures in the preparation of sperm samples for fertilisation.
A February 2007 report by the HFEA warned that embryologists at the hospital were running the risk of confusing sperm samples from different men by preparing them in the same container. Yet errors were still being made earlier this year.
One of the recent cases was discovered when the embryologist realised she had used a sample from the wrong man to fertilise a patient's eggs.
Within days of this mistake, scientists carrying out tests designed to ensure that babies are free of hereditary diseases found genes showing that the embryos could not belong to the parents they had believed to be the owners.
Sue Avery, consultant embryologist at Birmingham women's hospital and a former chairwoman of the Association of Clinical Embryologists, said the sperm mix-ups at Guy's were ???????very serious???????. She said it was disappointing that clinics had not learnt lessons from the mistakes that had led to the birth of black twins to a white couple in Leeds in 2002.
Despite the repeated mistakes at Guy's and St Thomas' hospital, the HFEA has not carried out an investigation.
Avery said: ???????We would expect in the case of repetition that the HFEA might want to investigate unless they can be thoroughly satisfied that the centre has taken sufficient action.???????
The assisted conception unit at Guy's and St Thomas' hospital said a thorough internal investigation had been carried out and the HFEA was informed of the mistakes.
The HFEA said that while IVF was a delicate procedure and it was impossible to eliminate human error, only 0.5% of treatments resulted in problems.
It added: ???????The HFEA takes incidents very seriously. When incidents are reported to us, we will investigate and take action where necessary. The risk of mix-ups is a serious concern for patients, clinics and the HFEA.???????
[Modified by: J-Jenko on 01 May 2009 14:48:22 ]
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