Couple forced to return babies to natural parents after tests confirmed they were not related
A US fertility clinic that brags to be the “mecca of reproductive medicine” got a woman pregnant with someone else’s babies, a lawsuit alleges.
A New York couple of Asian ethnicity, whom the court documents only refer to with their initials to avoid “embarrassment and humiliation”, paid the California-based CHA Fertility Centre tens of thousands of dollars to have children – but then wound up giving birth to non-Asian babies.
Adding insult to injury, the couple even had to relinquish custody to their natural parents after tests confirmed the babies were not genetically related to them.
The incident started to unfold in January 2018, when they decided to travel to California after struggling to have children, the New York Post first reported.
They eventually underwent treatment to prepare for In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) with CHA Fertility, which describes itself as one of the world’s “premier fertility treatment networks” and claims to have “fulfilled the dreams of tens of thousands of aspiring parents from Southern California and beyond in over 22 countries.”
During IVF, an egg is removed from the woman’s ovaries and fertilised with sperm in a laboratory, according to the NHS.
In all, the couple alleges they spent some $100,000 on doctor fees, medication, lab expenses and travel costs.
The couple decided to have two female embryos implanted in August 2018.
But months later, sonograms started signalling that something wasn’t right – they showed the wife was carrying twin boys, not girls.
CHA Fertility allegedly dismissed the results, saying the sonogram was inaccurate.
When the babies were born, it became apparent that they weren’t of Asian descent. DNA tests then revealed that the two boys were not even genetically related to the parents.
The couple was eventually also forced to give custody of the children to their natural parents.
The couple doesn’t know what happened to their actual embryos that were supposed to be used.
They accuse CHA Fertility, its doctors and related companies of medical malpractice, intentionally inflicting emotional distress and other allegations.
CHA Fertility has been contacted for comment.
(Source: The Independent)
A US fertility clinic that brags to be the “mecca of reproductive medicine” got a woman pregnant with someone else’s babies, a lawsuit alleges.
A New York couple of Asian ethnicity, whom the court documents only refer to with their initials to avoid “embarrassment and humiliation”, paid the California-based CHA Fertility Centre tens of thousands of dollars to have children – but then wound up giving birth to non-Asian babies.
Adding insult to injury, the couple even had to relinquish custody to their natural parents after tests confirmed the babies were not genetically related to them.
The incident started to unfold in January 2018, when they decided to travel to California after struggling to have children, the New York Post first reported.
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| Higher rates of maternal deaths and stillbirths among black mothers are 'tip of the iceberg', experts say ( Getty Images ) |
During IVF, an egg is removed from the woman’s ovaries and fertilised with sperm in a laboratory, according to the NHS.
In all, the couple alleges they spent some $100,000 on doctor fees, medication, lab expenses and travel costs.
The couple decided to have two female embryos implanted in August 2018.
But months later, sonograms started signalling that something wasn’t right – they showed the wife was carrying twin boys, not girls.
CHA Fertility allegedly dismissed the results, saying the sonogram was inaccurate.
When the babies were born, it became apparent that they weren’t of Asian descent. DNA tests then revealed that the two boys were not even genetically related to the parents.
The couple was eventually also forced to give custody of the children to their natural parents.
The couple doesn’t know what happened to their actual embryos that were supposed to be used.
They accuse CHA Fertility, its doctors and related companies of medical malpractice, intentionally inflicting emotional distress and other allegations.
CHA Fertility has been contacted for comment.
(Source: The Independent)
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