Australian Fertility Clinic Mistakenly Transfers Stranger's Embryo, Resulting in Birth

Tue Oct 21 2025 04:07:05 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

A mix-up at Monash IVF in Brisbane has led to a woman unknowingly giving birth to a stranger's child after an embryo intended for another couple was accidentally implanted.

Monash IVF in Brisbane, Queensland, faces a major controversy after a woman gave birth to another couple's baby due to a mix-up involving improperly thawed embryos. The clinic is launching an investigation while reflecting on a past settlement for destroying patients' viable embryos.

A woman in Brisbane, Queensland, has given birth to a child that is not biologically hers, all due to a distressing mix-up at the Monash IVF fertility clinic. The incident occurred when the clinic erroneously implanted an embryo belonging to another couple into her, a situation attributed to human error, as reported by various Australian media outlets.

Michael Knaap, CEO of Monash IVF, expressed deep remorse over the incident, stating, "On behalf of Monash IVF, I want to say how truly sorry I am for what has happened." He elaborated that the staff at the clinic are "devastated" by this mistake and emphasized that they are committed to ensuring this type of error does not happen again.

The issue came to light in February when the biological parents of the frozen embryos sought to transfer their remaining embryos to a different clinic. However, during this process, the staff discovered that an extra embryo had inadvertently remained in storage. This led to the unsettling realization that an embryo from another patient had been mistakenly thawed and implanted in the wrong individual, resulting in a newborn.

As a consequence of this incident, Monash IVF has initiated an internal investigation and reported the problem to regulatory authorities. Knaap reassured that they believe this incident is isolated and does not reflect standard procedure at their facility.

This incident isn't the first controversy surrounding Monash IVF, as last year the clinic reached a significant A$56 million (£26.8 million) settlement with a class of 700 former patients after a scandal involving the destruction of viable embryos due to faulty genetic testing. The testing inaccurately identified about 35% of embryos as non-viable, resulting in unnecessary procedures for the affected patients.

In vitro fertilization (IVF), a complex and costly procedure where eggs are removed from a woman's ovaries and fertilized with sperm in a lab before being transferred back into the uterus, has been the source of many stories – both hopeful and tragic. In Australia, a notable 20,690 babies were born through IVF in 2021, reflecting the process's growing popularity amid its inherent challenges.