A Dutch IVF centre has launched an investigation to find out if a mix-up in the lab may have led to 26 women having their eggs fertilised using the sperm of a stranger rather than their partner or chosen donor.
IVF, or n-vitro fertilisation, sees eggs removed from a woman’s ovaries and fertilised in a lab before being implanted back into the uterus.
According to the BBC, the University Medical Center in Utrecht has admitted a probe has been launched into a “procedural error” during in-vitro fertilizations between April 2015 and November 2016. Half the women involved are already pregnant or have given birth.
“During fertilisation, sperm cells from one treatment couple may have ended up with the egg cells of 26 other couples,” the center said in a statement.
“Therefore there’s a chance that the egg cells have been fertilised by sperm other than that of the intended father,” it continued.
“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,” the statement concluded.
