Women forced to use donor embryos fear their own may have been viable all along

Women forced to used donor embryos after a bungle by Monash IVF saw their own healthy embryos destroyed have been dealt another heartbreaking blow.

Women who used donor IVF embryos after being told their own weren’t viable have discovered they may have been able to use them all along.

The heartbreaking revelation – the result of a bungled genetic testing program used by Monash IVF that has since been axed – has bolstered a landmark class action against the fertility giant.

It could result in tens of millions of dollars in damages to hundreds of families.

One woman, now seven months pregnant with a donor embryo, said she was told her own were abnormal and had been destroyed.

But she said that last week she received a call from Monash IVF saying her embryos were still in storage and awaiting retesting to see if they were ­viable.

“I thought she had the wrong person, I thought this couldn’t be happening,” she said.

“It was heartbreaking to then question the decision we made – you can’t take it back.”

The mother, due to have a boy in October, said what ought to be a happy time had now been plagued by worry and questions of “what if?”.

“It’s a really joyful time knowing that we’re going to have this miracle baby and this is our journey now,’’ she said.

“But you always have that doubt and wonder: ‘I wonder what my own baby would look like? We were told due to our history, if our priority was to have a baby, that they would recommend we tried a donor.”

The Herald Sun can reveal Monash IVF’s suspended non-invasive preimplantation genetic testing program has been ceased following a nine-month investigation. The probe found “differences” in results between the non-invasive (cell-free) testing introduced in May 2019 and the traditional biopsy ­procedure.

Monash IVF was hit with a landmark lawsuit amid fears faulty genetic screening may have led to the destruction of healthy embryos.

Genetic screening of embryos for chromosome abnormality is offered in specific circumstances, such as when there is a risk of embryos failing to implant, miscarriage or resulting in a child with an extra chromosome, such as Down syndrome.

It is believed some embryos have been stored since the program was suspended in September and women were this week contacted by Monash IVF to let them know if theirs were kept.

Margalit Injury Lawyers managing principal Michel Margalit, leading the class action against Monash IVF and Adelaide Fertility Centre, said her firm had spoken to more than 200 women and men across the country affected by the non-invasive testing since the action was launched in Victoria’s Supreme Court in December.

She said Monash IVF had since advised that the testing program was not appropriate for clinical diagnostic use and its trial had not been peer reviewed before being introduced.

“This all comes crucially too late,” Ms Margalit said.

“Many women have made life-altering decisions based on the advice of Monash IVF that their embryos were abnormal.

“These women have lost precious time.

“No amount of compensation will truly ever compensate our clients for the lifelong heartache that has been caused to them and their ­families.”

The Herald Sun in October revealed healthy embryos may have been ­discarded due to Monash IVF’s faulty screening tests, which could have incorrectly identified them as “abnormal”.

Monash IVF chief Michael Knapp said communicating with patients was the “priority for Monash IVF” since the test had been ­withdrawn.

“We continue to strive to support each and every one of our patients,” Mr Knapp said.

“As the test will no longer be resumed, we felt it was important to openly and transparently inform our patients that these embryos have not been discarded and remain in storage, and that we will not be resuming this test.”

PATIENTS LEFT TO WONDER WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN

Sarah*, like so many other Australian women, was desperate to start a family.

She and her partner had been trying for four years to conceive before they were referred to Australia’s leading fertility specialist, Monash IVF, in the hope that they could “do something to help”.

In August last year, Sarah had two of her embryos sent for genetic screening using a world-first non-invasive testing program offered by the fertility giant.

The 34-year-old was at work when she got the first of a series of phone calls that would forever alter the course of her life and her family’s.

“They said (my embryos) had both come back abnormal and, as such, would be destroyed,” she said.

“It was devastating.”

Due to her low egg count, Sarah said she was advised by Monash IVF to consider using a donor embryo.

“Going from wanting your own baby to being told this was the situation and ‘we think this is your only option of having a baby’, it was tough to hear,” she said.

Just a few months later, Sarah received another call.

“They told me that potentially the (genetic) tests were wrong,” she said.

“But they said the embryos had already been destroyed anyway.” Sarah said she was caught off-guard by the casualness of the phone call.

“They kept saying, ‘go and do another round of IVF (with a donor)’.”

Believing it was her only option to have the family she’d long hoped for, Sarah proceeded with a donor embryo — using a donated egg and her partner’s sperm — and fell pregnant early this year.

It was a “rollercoaster” of emotions, she said, with happy and excited moments undercut by questions of what could have been with her own embryo.

Then, last week, Sarah — now seven months pregnant — got a third phone call.

“It was a very happy, chirpy call telling me that my embryos were ready to be transferred back to (where I lived),” she said.

“I thought ‘this couldn’t possibly be happening’ … they had been there the whole time.”

Sarah said she didn’t know what would become of those embryos, or whether they were even viable, but she wished she had been given the opportunity to find out.

“They could have said to me: ‘We’re going to re-test them, do you want to wait?’” she said. “They knew the choices we’d made … you can’t take it back.”

*not her real name.