The hospital trust says it is investigating the matter
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St Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital has apologised to more than 100 women whose eggs were potentially damaged during the process of freezing them.
The NHS clinic’s Assisted Conception Unit carried out the procedures on the patients in September and October 2022. The potential damage is due to a manufacturing issue of the solution that freezes the eggs for future in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment.
The hospital has only now contacted all those to apologise as it did not know the liquid was defective at the time.
A spokesperson for the St Guy’s and St Thomas’ NSH Foundation Trust said “we were made aware of a manufacturing issue with some bottles of a solution that may have been used to freeze eggs and embryos in our Assisted Conception Unit in September and October 2022.”
The clinic’s website says it “has an excellent reputation. We’re one of the leading innovators in fertility and in particular IVF. Clinics around the country are using techniques that we’ve developed.”
Jessop Fertility, which is based at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, has been named as a second clinic involved in the incident. They say that a particular product batch affected 29 frozen eggs and embryos.
Faulty freezing solution
In February 2023, The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) published a public safety notice about the faulty freezing solution and also contacted all registered clinics. Public safety notices alert medical professionals to recalls and safety information in drugs and other medical equipment after they have been distributed.
In February 2023 Copper Surgical, a fertility treatment provider based in the United States, was the subject of two separate public safety notices in the United Kingdom.
A voluntary recall was issued by the company for one product which it says “may contain a medium other than the…medium which does not contain the protein source required for embryo culture and development”. The other notice was in relation to vials labelled incorrectly which “may impact the viability of embryos.”
They did not respond to a request for comment.
St Thomas’ Hospital is on the banks of The Thames opposite The Palace of Westminster. CREDIT: WILLIAM TYRRELL
HFEA Director of Compliance and Information Rachel Cutting said they are “aware of and investigating an incident at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Assisted Conception Unit through our robust clinical governance incidents reporting system…the HFEA is currently not aware of any other licensed clinic where patients have been affected.
“The HFEA investigates incidents in clinics to make sure that everything is done to understand what went wrong and, crucially, to take steps to ensure it does not happen again.”
Rachel Cutting, HFEA Director of Compliance and Information
Frozen for 55 years
The most recent data on IFV treatment in the UK from 2021 states that 27% of frozen embryo transfers that year resulted in a birth, and 63% of all IVF treatment was privately funded, an increase compared to 52% in 2019. 4% of all IVF treatment involves egg storage.
Changes to the law in 2022 meant that eggs for use in treatment can now be stored for a maximum of 55 years, an increase from 10 years previously.
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HeadlineLondon hospital apologises to patients for potential damage to their frozen IVF eggs
Short HeadlineHospital apologises for potential damage to IVF eggs
StandfirstSt Guy's and St Thomas' wrote to more than 100 women to apologise when it discovered the freezing liquid for eggs was faulty.
St Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital has apologised to more than 100 women whose eggs were potentially damaged during the process of freezing them.
The NHS clinic’s Assisted Conception Unit carried out the procedures on the patients in September and October 2022. The potential damage is due to a manufacturing issue of the solution that freezes the eggs for future in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment.
The hospital has only now contacted all those to apologise as it did not know the liquid was defective at the time.
A spokesperson for the St Guy’s and St Thomas’ NSH Foundation Trust said “we were made aware of a manufacturing issue with some bottles of a solution that may have been used to freeze eggs and embryos in our Assisted Conception Unit in September and October 2022.”
The clinic’s website says it “has an excellent reputation. We’re one of the leading innovators in fertility and in particular IVF. Clinics around the country are using techniques that we’ve developed.”
Jessop Fertility, which is based at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, has been named as a second clinic involved in the incident. They say that a particular product batch affected 29 frozen eggs and embryos.
Faulty freezing solution
In February 2023, The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) published a public safety notice about the faulty freezing solution and also contacted all registered clinics. Public safety notices alert medical professionals to recalls and safety information in drugs and other medical equipment after they have been distributed.
In February 2023 Copper Surgical, a fertility treatment provider based in the United States, was the subject of two separate public safety notices in the United Kingdom.
A voluntary recall was issued by the company for one product which it says “may contain a medium other than the…medium which does not contain the protein source required for embryo culture and development”. The other notice was in relation to vials labelled incorrectly which “may impact the viability of embryos.”
They did not respond to a request for comment.
St Thomas’ Hospital is on the banks of The Thames opposite The Palace of Westminster. CREDIT: WILLIAM TYRRELL
HFEA Director of Compliance and Information Rachel Cutting said they are “aware of and investigating an incident at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Assisted Conception Unit through our robust clinical governance incidents reporting system…the HFEA is currently not aware of any other licensed clinic where patients have been affected.
“The HFEA investigates incidents in clinics to make sure that everything is done to understand what went wrong and, crucially, to take steps to ensure it does not happen again.”
Rachel Cutting, HFEA Director of Compliance and Information
Frozen for 55 years
The most recent data on IFV treatment in the UK from 2021 states that 27% of frozen embryo transfers that year resulted in a birth, and 63% of all IVF treatment was privately funded, an increase compared to 52% in 2019. 4% of all IVF treatment involves egg storage.
Changes to the law in 2022 meant that eggs for use in treatment can now be stored for a maximum of 55 years, an increase from 10 years previously.
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