A COUPLE’S last hopes of having another child have been destroyed after a mistake at an NHS fertility clinic meant their final embryo was implanted in another woman.
The woman who mistakenly received their embryo was told of the mistake shortly after it occurred and decided to terminate the pregnancy.
The couple, from Bridgend, south Wales, who have a six-year-old son, have spoken of their devastation and disbelief after winning a legal battle against the IVF Wales clinic, in Cardiff.
Nine embryos had been created using IVF in 2000, and the woman, a 38-year-old hospital worker, subsequently gave birth to a son.
The remaining embryos were stored until 2007, when she and her husband, a 40-year-old print plant manager, decided to try for a second child. One of the embryos had survived and they travelled to the clinic for treatment, only to be told the news.
In a newspaper interview, the woman said: “In less than 10 seconds, our wonderful world was shattered when the senior embryologist stood in front of us and said, ‘I’m very sorry to tell you, but there’s been an accident in the lab. Your embryo has been destroyed.’ “We were both rooted to our seats. We were stunned and trembling. We held each other tightly, and sobbed and sobbed.
"It was like water from a tap. I kept thinking, 'They've killed our baby'." She told the Mail on Sundaythat it was not until later they discovered the embryo had been implanted in another woman who elected to have a termination when she found out what had happened.
“We were shaking with shock and bursting with anger, especially as it was the one thing all IVF patients are told could never happen,” the woman added.
The couple were offered another round of IVF treatment for free, but turned it down. “We made it plain that we would never trust them again.”
She said the blunder had put a terrible strain on their marriage. The case follows the revelation yesterday that a white couple in Northern Ireland have had a mixed race baby after another IVF mistake.
The Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust has admitted liability for the Welsh case and the couple have been paid an undisclosed sum of money. It said changes have been made in an attempt to prevent such a mistake happening again.
Ian Lane, the trust’s medical director, said: “We apologise unreservedly for this mistake. This was a rare but extremely upsetting incident for everyone involved and we take full responsibility for the distress caused to both couples and their families.
"We have made a number of improvements to our systems and checks, in line with the recommendations made in the reports. We have strengthened our protocol and reduced our workload to relieve pressure on staffing levels." – (Guardian service)