Hospital Gives Women Wrong Sperm During Fertility Treatment

Mistakes at a fertility lab at Utrecht’s UMC teaching hospital may mean the wrong sperm was used to fertilise the eggs of 26 different women, the hospital has admitted.

The likelihood this has actually happened is extremely small but cannot be ruled out, the hospital said in a statement. The mistakes were made between April 2015 and November 2016 and half of the women involved are either pregnant or have given birth.

The eggs from the other 13 women have been frozen for future use. The hospital has informed the couples involved, all of whom will be offered a dna test. The mistakes happened during a test tube baby technique which involves a sperm cell being directly injected into the egg.


Human error

The problem arose because one of the instruments involved in the treatment was not suitable for the job, the hospital said, adding that this was ‘human error’.

This meant that some sperm from the previous treatment remained in the equipment and could have entered the egg the next time the apparatus was used.

The hospital has since taken steps to ensure the same mistake cannot be made again.

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Men with low sperm count run higher disease risk – Research

A study published by Skane University Hospital revealed on Wednesday in Stockholm that it was the result of research carried out on 192 men with sub-average sperm counts.

It said that men with fertility problems are more likely to suffer bone fractures and may also be more susceptible diabetes later in life.

The study registered that a third of men aged below 50 with low sperm counts suffered from testosterone levels below average.

It described it as big dilemma as the men with low sperm counts were seven times more likely to face than men who did not struggle to have children.

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