Renowned IVF pioneer Alan Trounson says he still has faith in treatment despite horror bungle
Renowned IVF pioneer Alan Trounson says the horror mix-up in which a woman gave birth to a stranger’s baby never should have happened.
Fertility
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Renowned IVF pioneer Alan Trounson says the horror mix-up that saw a woman give birth to a stranger’s baby was a mistake that should never have happened, but that human errors occur and he still has faith in IVF.
Professor Trounson, a former scientific director of Monash IVF and leading stem cell expert, was part of the very early team to achieve Australia’s first successful IVF pregnancy in 1980 that also included the Royal Women’s Hospital.
Together with the man considered the “godfather” of IVF in Australia, Carl Wood, Professor Trounson helped to pioneer the techniques worldwide.
The Herald Sun on Thursday revealed a Brisbane woman was accidentally impregnated with another couple’s embryo by Monash IVF.
When asked about the shocking bungle, Professor Trounson said he feels sadness for the families involved.
“There’s just no easy out for this, but I still have faith in IVF,” he said.
“I think there’s so many families being rewarded by it. I think, you know, you’d have to say that it has been special for so many people.
“There are risks we have in the way science does things and occasionally, very occasionally, something may go wrong like this and it’s regrettable.”
He said it must be a disappointment for the families involved.
“I no longer work in IVF, I work in cancer research, so I have no idea how this came about,” he said.
“IVF is a relatively complex procedure and clinics are busy and I suppose mistakes are made.
“You can say it shouldn’t happen, but we live in a world where mistakes do happen and they’re very unfortunate.”
However, Professor Trounson emphasised he knew nothing more about the case than any other person in the community.
“Really, I feel sorry for all the people involved. IVF has grown so much from those early days, but it has brought so much joy to a lot of people.”
Professor Trounson is credited with introducing fertility drugs for controlling ovulation, embryo freezing techniques, egg and embryo donation methods and early sperm microinjection methods.
Another IVF expert described the bungle as “everyone’s worst nightmare”.
“I know that every accredited clinic in Australia has systems in place, but at the end of the day, human error is a very difficult thing to legislate against,” they said.
It is believed to be the first time in Australia that a baby has been born after the wrong embryo was transferred.
Melbourne-based Monash IVF, which only confirmed the case after the Herald Sun uncovered the bungle and put questions to the business, said an internal audit found no evidence that this had happened to other families, but also could not rule it out.
Both families are understood to be heartbroken, with major legal action being considered against the embattled fertility giant.
It is believed the baby was born in Brisbane in 2023, but the families only learned of the mistake in February this year.
The discovery was made after the birth parents, who are now raising a toddler, asked to transfer their remaining frozen embryos to another IVF provider.
Originally published as Renowned IVF pioneer Alan Trounson says he still has faith in treatment despite horror bungle
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