Two fertility clinics affected by faulty liquid
Anyone who may have been affected - at either Guy's Hospital in London or Jessop Fertility in Sheffield - have already been contacted
Last updated 14th Feb 2024
It's been confirmed faulty liquid - used for freezing eggs and embryos - has affected two clinics in the UK.
The fertility regulator says the issue's limited to Guy's Hospital in central London, and Jessop Fertility in Sheffield.
Anyone likely to have been affected will have been notified already.
Statement from the UK's fertility watchdog
It comes after Guy's Hospital in London apologised for a delay in contacting patients affected at its assisted conception unit.
The hospital contacted 136 patients whose chances of having children may have been compromised because of a faulty liquid used to freeze eggs and embryos during fertility treatment.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) said the clinic "undertook a thorough investigation when they first became aware of the issue and contacted and supported any patient affected".
Rachel Cutting, Director of Compliance and Information at the HFEA, said:
“The HFEA can confirm that this issue is limited to two clinics in the UK: Guys’ and St Thomas’ Assisted Conception Unit, London and Jessop Fertility, Sheffield.
“Our ongoing investigation only relates to Guys’ as we are satisfied that Jessop’s undertook a thorough investigation when they first became aware of the issue and contacted and supported any patient affected.
“The company supplying the product directly to clinics will know exactly where it’s gone through their traceability processes. The company is also obliged to report any problems to the MHRA.
“Any patients likely to have been affected will have been notified by their clinic. We hope this provides reassurance to anyone concerned.
“Fertility treatment in the UK is generally very safe, our most recent report shows that out of the almost 100,000 treatment and storage cycles which took place in 2022/23, more than 99% were conducted without any incidents occurring."
“Any patients likely to have been affected will have been notified by their clinic"
Dr Jennifer Hill, Medical Director, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said:
“We began a thorough patient review as soon as the product recall notice was issued. We have robust tracing processes in our laboratories and so we were able to identify that there were 29 people who had eggs or embryos frozen in the period (August 2022) when we used the particular product batch. We can confirm that 28 of those did not have the faulty fluid used to freeze their eggs or embryos. The remaining person was contacted at the time and did not require further actions to be taken.”
Some affected women have already contacted lawyers
Catherine Slattery, a specialist group actions medical negligence lawyer at law firm Irwin Mitchell, said: "This is a very worrying incident which could potentially have devastating consequences for women, especially those who have had to go through the physical and psychological impact of cancer treatment.
"We've been contacted by a number of women possibly affected and are looking into their concerns further. Some women are based in London and received treatment at Guy's Hospital, while others are based elsewhere in England and Wales.
"It's vital that women receive the care and support they may need to get through this difficult time while this incident is investigated further.
"If any failings are identified during the HFEA and MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) investigations, it's vital that lessons are learned to prevent issues like this arising in the future."