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26 women may
have been fertilized by wrong sperm from a man other than their partner at the
Utrecht University Medical Centre (UMC). The officials admitted it to be a ‘procedural
mistake’ in a news release on Wednesday, December 28,2016.
A technician
error resulted in mix-up of sperms in fertility treatments that took place
between mid-April 2015 and mid-November 2016.
The ‘mix-up’
happened in women receiving Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) treatment. UMC
says that although the possibility is small, it cannot be totally ruled out.
"During
fertilization, sperm cells from one treatment couple may have ended up with the
egg cells of 26 other couples," it said.
One of the
lab technician used an inappropriate pipette to inject sperm. During each
procedure of Sperm Injection, he changed the pipette but used the same rubber
top, until he found traces of sperms inside the top and sounded the alarm.
Usually the rubber top comes with a filter, but in these cases the top did not
have a filter.
Out of the
26 couples involved, 9 patients have already delivered, 4 have an ongoing
pregnancy and the rest 13 embryos were frozen.
The couples
have been informed about the mix-up and they will be meeting the doctors very
shortly. They are offered DNA test to determine the paternity.
UMC said “it
will do everything within its powers to give clarity on the issue as soon as
possible."
Nearly 700
ICSI procedures are performed each year at the UMC.
Mix-up in fertility
treatments are rare, a Singapore mother in 2012 sued the fertility clinic when
her baby boy born after treatment at the clinic had markedly different features
as compared to her Caucasian husband.
Sources:
UMC news bulletin
CNN news
The
telegraph
BBC
The
Australian.
