IVF failures have a ‘human price’ mums say amid revelation son, 11, tried to take his own life

An 11-year-old Queensland boy at centre of an IVF baby swap scandal was so traumatised, sparking demands for national legislation to end laboratory mistakes.

Lexie and Anastasia Gunn are suing Queensland Fertility Group over claims that the wrong sperm donor was used to conceive two of their sons, who now live with crippling health conditions. Picture by Luke Marsden.

A Queensland mother at the centre of an IVF baby swap scandal has written to the Federal Health minister demanding national legislation to regulate the troubled fertility industry, revealing her 11-year-old son had attempted to end his life due to the trauma.

Anastasia Gunn, who has become an advocate for greater IVF transparency in Queensland after claims of a sperm mix-up involving two of her three boys, co-authored the letter with fellow advocate Katherine Dawson to put the spotlight on the human toll of clinic bungles.

The pair’s plea to Health Minister Mark Butler comes in the wake of this week’s resignation of Monash IVF CEO Michael Knaap after two cases of devastating mix-ups at the leading fertility clinic.

The first was the revelation in April that a Brisbane woman had unknowingly given birth to a stranger’s baby after the wrong embryo was transferred, while the second was a Victorian patient receiving her own embryo instead of the correct one belonging to her partner.

Ms Gunn and Ms Dawson, who have both suffered their own trauma over IVF procedures gone wrong, revealed in their letter to Mr Butler the devastating long-term effects of bungles throughout generations.

Ms Dawson, a national advocate, told The Saturday Courier-Mail she knew of donor-conceived people so distressed that they took their own lives.

Ms Gunn shared in the correspondence to that one of her primary school-aged sons attempted suicide.

“We want the minister to realise that laboratory mistakes have real human impact throughout generations,” Ms Gunn told The Saturday Courier-Mail. “We want everyone to know that.

“Imagine a boy that young being so sad, not only about his physical pain but the fact that through DNA testing he found out that all three brothers were not fully connected with the same blood.

Michael Knaap has exited as chief executive of Monash IVF. Picture Monash IVF Group

“That has been so hard on him, he feels a deep sense of lost familial connection.

“I want people to know about this and that these mistakes blow up families and young lives – the pain goes on.

“There is a human price to pay, it’s not just about science and laboratory protocols.”

Ms Gunn and her partner Lexie Gunn are suing Queensland Fertility Group in a drawn-out Supreme Court case over claims that the wrong sperm donor was used to conceive two of their sons, who now live with crippling health conditions.

Their 11-year-old son, who has been diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers Danlos syndrome, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, severe chronic fatigue, pectus excavatum, recurrent joint dislocations, pes planus, chronic gut dysmotility and reflux, recurrent mouth ulcers and ASD, lives with chronic long-term pain.

The couple insisted that donor 227 was used in the conception of all three of their boys. The donor was fit and healthy.

“We carried out our own DNA testing when the younger boys started to have so many health problems and we found that the boys were not all from the same father. That set off a series of horrific events,” she said.

Ms Gunn also highlighted that her oldest son, who has turned 18, has been denied access to the identity of his sperm donor in breach of national health guidelines.

Ms Dawson said that this was why there must be independent national legislation and a national donor database.

“I am aware of Victorian donor-conceived people that have attempted to or taken their own lives,” Ms Dawson said. “Donor-conceived people can have feelings of distress very early on in their lives – even those as young as 11.

“These feelings are complex and often completely caused or worsened by the practices, mistakes, treatment by clinics and traumatic encounters donor conceived people experience with clinics.

“We are asking our health minister to step in to protect current and future Australian families from this irreparable and profound damage.”

Originally published as IVF failures have a ‘human price’ mums say amid revelation son, 11, tried to take his own life