Kate Ceberano’s family caught up in Monash IVF bungle

The sister-in-law of music star Kate Ceberano has told of leaving Monash IVF in tears with a sense of betrayal as she tried desperately for a baby.

Angela and Phil Ceberano were caught up in Monash IVF’s bungled genetic testing saga. Picture: David Caird

A Melbourne woman caught up in the bungled Monash IVF genetic testing saga said she feels betrayed by the fertility giant after she was wrongly told her precious embryos had been destroyed.

Angela Ceberano and musician husband Phil — brother to Australian singer Kate Ceberano — are among hundreds of couples impacted by the now-axed genetic testing program in which healthy embryos may have been destroyed after they were incorrectly deemed “abnormal” by the faulty screening technology.

Ms Ceberano, a public relations director and well-known figure in Melbourne’s communication industry, said she was told by Monash IVF last year her embryo was not viable and had been discarded, before discovering it had, in fact, been kept in storage for several months.

“They made it seem like a shut case, I couldn’t get any answers about what had happened to them,” she said.

“It felt like such a betrayal about what was going on — they said they were going to discard them, so why didn’t they?”

Singer Kate Ceberano with her musician brother Phil. Picture: Supplied

The Herald Sun revealed this week Monash IVF’s devastating error resulted in some women using donor embryos after being told their own weren’t viable, only to learn they may have been able to use them all along.

Ms Ceberano, 39, said she counted herself lucky that her embryos survived and were in the process of being retested.

But she wants to speak out about her experience with the fertility giant, saying it left her ready to “give up”, and also give hope to other women that things “can be better”.

The Ceberanos turned to Monash IVF last year for help conceiving after tragically miscarrying on Mother’s Day in 2019.

“I felt pretty broken … you already feel like you’ve failed before you begin,” Ms Ceberano said.

“You’re the rawest version of yourself, you’re so sensitive and holding onto every little bit of hope.”

Ms Ceberano said she placed her trust in the fertility specialists, believing they were the best in the country.

“As soon as I thought of IVF, I thought of Monash, I didn’t look anywhere else,” she said.

“In hindsight, perhaps because they are the pioneers and they are the traditional clinic … I think that comes with so much arrogance and complacency.”

Ms Ceberano revealed she would often leave the clinic in tears and felt “like another number” in the system.

Phil and Angela are now on their ninth round of IVF at Number One Fertility, after feeling let down by a “horrible” experience at Monash IVF. Picture: Supplied

“There was no care or sensitivity,” she said.

Earlier this year, the couple changed fertility clinics and said they were given a new sense of hope.

“I feel like we’ve come from the absolutely worst experience, to the absolutely best,” she said.

The couple are now completing their ninth round of IVF at Number One Fertility.

“They put care at the forefront of everything they do, it’s not about shareholders or profit margins, they’re really invested in your journey,” she said.

“IVF is a wonderful tool — so many people wouldn’t be able to have babies without it,” she said.

“It doesn’t have to be a horrible experience … we’ve had our faith restored.”

A landmark class action has been launched against Monash IVF with hundreds of families seeking tens of millions of dollars in damages.