Frozen eggs of more than 100 woman may have been damaged, hospital admits

Solution used to freeze eggs and embryos at Guy’s Hospital was faulty, the hospital has revealed (Picture: Getty Images/Science Photo Libra)

An NHS hospital has apologised to 136 woman after admitting their frozen eggs and embryos were likely damaged by a faulty freezing solution.

Guy’s Hospital in London contacted the women to explain that bottles of defective liquid were used in September and October 2022.

The clinic said it hadn’t known at the time there was anything wrong with the solution.

It explained that the manufacturing issue may impact the chance of the egg or embryo surviving during the thawing process.

One of the women affected has since come forward to speak of her devastation at learning the news.

Speaking anonymously, she told MailOnline: ‘The doctor informed me that the eggs I had frozen are unlikely to be viable, due to a faulty freezing process. It has been devastating.

‘It is traumatising for those poor women to be told their frozen eggs cannot be used.’

Have you been affected by the error at Guy’s Hospital? Email [email protected] or [email protected].

Guy’s Hospital, pictured, has contacted 136 women about the error (Picture: Getty Images)

She called for Guy’s Hospital to cover the cost of further fertility treatment.

It’s thought many of the women affected have had cancer treatment since freezing their eggs, which may have left them unable to conceive naturally, the BBC reports.

A Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said: ‘We were made aware of a manufacturing issue with some bottles of a solution that may have been used to freeze eggs and embryos in our Assisted Conception Unit in September and October 2022.’

They added that Guy’s Hospital has now contacted all those affected and apologised for the delay and any distress the error may have caused.

The Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA) said a safety notice about the faulty freezing solution was issued to all registered clinics in February 2023, however the Guy’s Hospital clinic still used the faulty solution several months later.

HFEA director of compliance and information Rachel Cutting described the situation as ‘ongoing’ at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Assisted Conception Unit, with an investigation now underway.

Frozen eggs can be used for IVF treatment at a later date(Picture: Getty Images)

‘We will take any further action required as a result of this investigation, in line with our standard incidents process,’ she said.

‘We are aware that this affected product may have been distributed to other UK clinics, although the HFEA is currently unaware of any other licensed clinic where patients have been affected.’

HFEA said any fertility patients concerned that the issue may have impacted their frozen eggs or embryos should contact their relevant clinics.

Ms Cutting added: ‘The HFEA investigates incidents in clinics to make sure that everything is done to understand what went wrong and, crucially, to take steps to ensure it does not happen again,” she said.

‘We also share learning and notify other clinics of potential issues.’

Guy’s Hospital said they have set up a dedicated phoneline for any patients impacted.

The NHS-operated clinic added that those affected can seek support through their counselling service.

To learn more about the process of freezing eggs and what to consider first, see our handy explainer here.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Get your need-to-know latest news, feel-good stories, analysis and more by signing up to Metro’s News Updates newsletter