Fertility giant Monash IVF agrees to settle with families after shocking embryo bungle

Fertility treatment company Monash IVF has agreed to settle with families that were impacted by embryo bungles at two of its clinics.

The company was forced to apologise last June when staff at Melbourne’s Clayton clinic transferred a patient’s own embryo to the same patient instead of their partner

The incident came after a separate error at a Brisbane clinic in 2023, when staff mistakenly implanted the wrong embryo into a patient, resulting in a woman giving birth to another couple’s child.

A Monash IVF spokesman said the company has settled, or agreed to settle, the material claims arising from incidents previously disclosed to the market about the incidents.

“We deeply regret the events from 2025 and have taken significant steps to strengthen our safety culture and enhance oversight across all sites,” a spokesman said.

“We have also worked closely with the regulator to ensure our systems meet and, where possible, exceed required standards and community expectations.

“Patients can be confident that we have learned from these events and taken decisive steps to ensure our systems are as rigorous and robust as possible.”

Investors were advised insurers would cover costs for both claims in the company’s half yearly report to the Australian Stock Exchange.

“The group’s insurers have confirmed indemnity for claims arising from both incidents under the terms and conditions of the relevant policies,” a report read.

“The directors do not expect any material exposures to arise in connection with these matters.”

Last year, chief executive officer Michael Knapp resigned following the scandals.

The company held an independent review into the incidents and took steps to implement measures that would reduce risk across the organisation.