London Hospital: NHS Fertility Clinic Error Leaves 100+ Women Struggling to Conceive: A Devastating Blow
A total of 136 women who had their eggs or embryos frozen in September and October 2022 received devastating news that could potentially affect them.
They were informed that there was a possibility of their eggs or embryos not surviving the thaw process.
However, there was a distressing nearly year-long delay between the hospital becoming aware of the mistake in March of the previous year, and the women being informed.
It is possible that these women are no longer capable of reproducing and may never have children of their own.
A woman, who had her eggs frozen within the fault window, expressed surprise when she was summoned for a discussion regarding a “clinical development.”
During an interview with The Times, she shared that the doctor had informed her about the potential lack of viability of her frozen eggs, which was attributed to a faulty freezing process. The situation has been incredibly difficult.
Tragic Loss: Women Face Unviable Frozen Eggs, Affecting Fertility Preservation
Unfortunately, a number of women have now lost the opportunity to preserve their fertility. Some individuals are cancer patients who have undergone hysterectomies. It is deeply distressing for those unfortunate women to be informed that their frozen eggs are not viable for use.
The woman expressed her horror at the hospital’s delay in sharing the information, especially considering the high cost of treatment for both NHS and private patients.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) is currently investigating the events that took place at the assisted conception unit.
The unit has issued an apology to the women after charging £3,700 for one round of private egg freezing or £4,500 for embryo freezing.
The Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust has stated that they were unaware of the potential issue during the freezing of eggs or embryos in September and October 2022. However, they have acknowledged that this manufacturing issue could potentially affect the survival chances of frozen eggs or embryos during the thawing process.
“We have reached out to all individuals impacted and expressed our apologies for the delay in our response and any inconvenience it may have caused.”
“We are providing support to individuals who may have been affected, including through our counseling service. We encourage anyone with concerns to reach out to us directly using the dedicated phone line we have established.”
