Australia orders mass purge of frozen sperm after samples found at risk of mixup

Investigation finds 42 per cent of audited samples at medium or high risk of being misidentified

File: A laboratory assistant homogenises sperm in order to produce a spermogram at the Centre for the Study and Conservation of Human Eggs and Sperm (AFP via Getty Images)

Health authorities in Australia's Queensland have ordered the destruction of thousands of frozen sperms after a report revealed the samples were in a risk of being misidentified amid concerns over lack of regulation at fertility clinics.

The Office of the Health Ombudsman found that 42 per cent of the audited sperm samples were at medium or high risk of being misidentified.

Ombudsman Lynne Coulson Barr said the investigation into Australia's largest IVF industry unearthed "significant systemic issues" and lapses in reporting protocol in providers' practice.

The report has sparked fear of accidental incest as the mixups resulted in the parents and donor children being unaware of the genetic information and medical records.

The health watchdog's office found errors such as "identification mix-ups, loss of viability of gametes or embryos, and suspected deterioration beyond laboratory standards".

One provider failed to report incidents of "incorrect labelling of frozen semen and unclear labelling of straws, were not reported”.

A woman reported that the sperm donor she used had donated on more than 200 occasions at the same clinic, the Australian Associated Press reported.

When investigating a number of clinics, the authorities were unable to establish the number of families created or how many siblings a child may have from the same donor.

The report cautioned that the excessive recurrent use of sperm donations in fertility treatments could pose the risk of donor-conceived individuals "inadvertently having a sexual relationship" with a blood relative.

The ombudsman has recommended that all clinics in Queensland dispose of stored eggs, sperm and embryos that do not meet “current identification standards”.

The mass destruction would put pressure on the already shortage of donated sperm amid high demand in the country. “The impact on consumers and the donor-conceived children in cases of gamete mix-ups cannot be underestimated,” the report found.

“Appropriate counselling should be offered by ART providers … to manage the emotional turmoil created with uncertainty about paternity and genetic origins. The implications for families from such errors are lifelong,” it said.

Anastasia Gunn, who has sued one of the facilities in Queensland for providing her with the wrong sperm in 2014, said she was “horrified [but] not surprised” by the report.

“It is scary to think how many patients may have unknowingly conceived with the wrong sperm,” she told the Australian Guardian.

“Why were the clinics not double-checking when they were making humans? The effects of these errors last for generations,” she added.

Health minister Shannon Fentiman said on Wednesday she was shocked by the findings. “We need to make sure that our laws keep up with technology,” she told reporters, adding that she requested the investigation following more than 200 complaints.