Australia’s biggest fertility company ‘covered up’ IVF mix-up

A biracial baby was born to a white couple after an IVF error that Australia’s largest fertility provider kept hidden for 11 years, an investigation has found.

The baby’s delivery at a Brisbane hospital in 2014 was the first time the couple realised something had gone wrong with their treatment.

The case took place at Queensland Fertility Group (QFG) in Brisbane, when embryos were created using the woman’s eggs and the wrong donor sperm from a US sperm bank.

The couple had chosen a Caucasian donor with fair hair and blue eyes to resemble the husband.

When their child was born with a different ethnicity, the error was exposed.

The incident had never been made public before, but ABC Investigations uncovered details from multiple sources with knowledge of the birth and the company’s cover-up.

Queensland Fertility Group, owned by Virtus Health, admitted the case only when presented with evidence.

The company said: “Queensland Fertility Group is aware of this matter and empathises with this family.”

An internal inquiry by Seattle Sperm Bank found that samples from two donors – one Caucasian and one African American – were mixed up.

The wrong sperm was stored in a correctly labelled vial.

The mistake occurred because the US facility did not use double-witnessing, an identity check where two staff confirm every step.

This system has been mandatory in Australia since 2012 but was not required in the US at the time.

The new mother wrote on an online forum: “I love my beautiful baby more than life itself.

“[But] has anyone ever found out their IVF baby wasn’t theirs?

“Has anyone had a baby that looked like it came from [a] different ethnicity?

“DNA test is off being processed … I have approx 2-3 weeks for results to come through … will also find out if [the baby] is biologically mine.”

Seattle Sperm Bank said: “We can confirm that the laboratory error of the wrong label being affixed to the donor specimen occurred in 2013.

“Following this, Seattle Sperm Bank created a robust, seven-step double verification, with a computer-assisted automated witnessing system that prevents this type of error from occurring again.”

QFG said “all remaining donor sperm from this donor was destroyed.”

Queensland Fertility Group and Virtus Health denied the error initially, then moved to cover it up.

The Brisbane couple was paid to sign a strict non-disclosure agreement that still leaves them fearful of speaking publicly.

Family friend Jo Bastian, who learned details before the agreement, called the clinic’s behaviour “appalling.”

“They went to the clinic three times, and the clinic dismissed them,” she said.

“The mother felt very, very isolated and there was never any contact from the clinic to see how she and the baby were going.

“It was a very confronting time, and the clinic was of no help whatsoever.”

Queensland Fertility Group said: “This incident occurred more than a decade ago and was overseen by the former public company board and management of QFG.

“We regret their failure to provide a greater level of support and communication to the family during this difficult time.”