Blunder at top clinic sparks fresh IVF fears - How to Protect Yourself
With the new blunder discovered at a UK clinic, more patients are afraid of what if it happens to them....
In fact, as discussed by By Susie Mesure in The Independent, donor sperm with chromosomal abnormalities went unscreened, raising the risk of miscarriage and birth. defects.
"A serious blunder at one of Britain's top fertility clinics dramatically increased the risk its patients would suffer a miscarriage or give birth to a child with serious health problems, sparking fresh fears about how IVF centres are run in the wake of a series of scandals."
In fact, "Fertility experts believe the LWC's error could be the "tip of the iceberg", and that it raises serious concerns about how the industry is regulated. It is the latest in a series of high-profile incidents, including a couple's last viable embryo being implanted into another woman, and eggs fertilised with the wrong sperm, forcing three couples' embryos to be destroyed."
"The blunder constituted the most severe mistake that a clinic can make, according to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, which regulates the multimillion-pound IVF sector. In future, the watchdog will name and shame clinics for similar incidents under new rules to expose mistakes and near misses."
Yes, mistakes do happen, and we need to keep an eye on regulations that will make this field of medicine as error free as possible. In fact, there are many things that the fertility patient can do for themselves to ensure that they set themselves up for success versus the failures that we have seen in the UK, Ohio and even Louisiana.
I suggest to each one of my clients that following:
1. Make certain that your doctor and clinci is board certified and cleared by the FDA, including their lab being accredited. Look to SART, CDC, and the AMA.
2. Speak with your clinic to understand how they label embryos, sperm, eggs, etc. Also, ask questions regarding all testing provided by the clinic on embryos, sperm, and eggs.
3. Always check to see if there are any complaints against the clinic and/or the doctor;
4. Ask the clinic if they have a policy for disclosing mistakes or errors to patients? Also, what is their history of any such mistakes/errors.
5. DO NOT BE AFRAID to ASK QUESTIONS - no question is stupid or silly.
For more information, also look to Dawn Davenport's article on this issue.
