Now Monash IVF, one of Australia’s foremost fertility clinics, is on the firing line. This follows the more egregious recent case of a patient receiving the wrong embryo transfer. The shooting took place at the clinic’s Clayton facility. It is the second time in less than a year that Monash IVF has erred in such a fashion. Following the incident, the clinic immediately took steps to conduct its own internal investigation. They took the opportunity to expand the scope of an independent review related to a previous incident in Brisbane.
Earlier in 2023, Monash IVF was at the centre of a mix-up where they mistakenly implanted an embryo of a different patient. That error wasn’t discovered until February 2025. The earlier case raised deep fears within the fertility community. It got truly scary, though, when one of the babies was born without any genetic relationship to the woman who delivered the baby. The birth parents did not discover the switch until they asked to move their remaining embryos to a different provider.
Internal Investigations and Independent Reviews
Following the incident in question, Monash IVF is undertaking an internal review to understand how this mistake could happen. The clinic alerted the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee’s certifying body to the situation. They communicated this to the Victorian Health Regulator, indicating their willingness to work transparently and openly in addressing these grave issues.
At the same time, the terms of an independent review into the Brisbane incident has been extended. This review now features both incidents in-person. We’ll continue to work to make sure coming measures are comprehensive enough to prevent such a mistake happening again.
Since the revelation of these incidents publicly, Monash IVF’s share price has plummeted over 10%. After their $52 million blunder in Brisbane was revealed, shares of the company plummeted from $1.08 to 69 cents at one point. On the day of their most recent quarterly report, their share price was 74 cents at 10 am in the morning.
Industry Reactions and Calls for Regulation
The fallout from the recent embryo transfer mistake has alarmed many within the community of fertility advocates and professionals. Lucy Lines, a fertility educator and IVF patient advocate, shared her horror at the lack of support.
“I’m horrified, terrified for my clients, for the industry as a whole,” – Lucy Lines
The initial incident had already shaken the industry to its core. Now, this new revelation has sent all of us working in reproductive health services into a tailspin.
“I think the [announcement of the] first incident, a couple of months ago, rocked the industry to its core, and I think this is just really throwing everyone through a loop.” – Lucy Lines
The incidents have raised public debate about the need for a national registration scheme for embryologists in Australia. Right now, there is no framework of that sort. In New Zealand, registration of embryologists is required by the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act. Together, this raises critical questions about the future of the regulatory regime in Australia.
“In Australia, embryologists are not currently registered under a national scheme,” – FSANZ spokesperson.
Monash IVF acknowledged this gap, stating:
“While Australian pathology laboratories involved in IVF are accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA), and the Australian Institute of Medical Scientists (AIMS) also plays an important role in accrediting and assessing medical scientists, registration for embryologists is not mandatory in Australia at this time.” – Monash IVF
In a call for greater uptake between both countries, UK lines emphasized that mandatory registration would help support continued professional development amongst embryologists.
“I think it’s really important for the ongoing professional development of embryologists,” – Lucy Lines.
She explained that although many councils and committees control and regulate IVF activities, there is no special board for registering embryologists.
“There are lots of governing bodies for IVF, but there is no board of registration for embryologists.” – Lucy Lines.
The Path Forward
Now as Monash IVF pulls through this turmoil, patients and practitioners in the field continue to wait with bated breath to see what will unfold next. The clinic’s seriousness about the transparency with which these issues will be addressed will go a long way in helping restore trust for patients, stakeholders, and the public.
