‘Human error’: Woman gives birth to stranger's baby after IVF mix-up

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A woman in Australia unknowingly gave birth to a stranger’s baby after she received another patient's embryo from her in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinic. 

The clinic said the IVF mix-up was due to "human error."

Woman unknowingly gives birth to stranger’s baby

What we know:

According to the clinic, the mix-up was discovered in February when the clinic in the city of Brisbane found that the birth parents had one too many embryos in storage, said the provider, Monash IVF, in a statement supplied Friday. 

Staff discovered an embryo from another patient had been mistakenly thawed and transferred to the birth mother, a spokesperson said. 

FILE: Baby born in hospital. (Credit: BUREAU / AFP) (Photo by MARTIN BUREAU/AFP via Getty Images)

The "human error" was made "despite strict laboratory safety protocols being in place," the statement said. The company said it had reported the episode to the relevant regulator in the state of Queensland.

What we don't know:

Australian news outlets reported the baby was born in 2024, but Monash IVF didn't confirm how old the child was.

The company’s statement also didn’t identify the patients involved or divulge details about the child's custody.

Monash IVF calls situation ‘extremely distressing time’

What they're saying:

The company, one of Australia’s biggest IVF providers, said an initial investigation had not uncovered any other such errors. 

"All of us at Monash IVF are devastated, and we apologize to everyone involved," said CEO Michael Knaap. "We will continue to support the patients through this extremely distressing time."

Embryo mix-ups reported in US

The backstory:

Monash IVF opened in 1971 and sees patients in dozens of locations throughout Australia. 

Last year, the firm settled a class-action lawsuit from more than 700 patients, making no admission of liability, after claims its clinics destroyed potentially viable embryos.

The clinic paid a settlement of $56 million Australian dollars ($35 million).

Rare cases of embryo mix-ups have been reported before, including in the United States, Britain, Israel and Europe. 

RELATED: Georgia woman files lawsuit after being implanted with wrong embryo

Earlier this year, in Georgia, a woman filed a lawsuit after she "unknowingly and unwillingly carried a child through pregnancy who was not biologically related to her," something she learned only once she delivered the baby boy. 

"The birth of my child was supposed to be the happiest moment of my life, and honestly, it was," Murray said in a news conference. "But it was also the scariest moment of my life.