Source: Radio New Zealand
An embryo pictured as it divides from four to eight cells. Melanie Olds
An Auckland fertility clinic has apologised after frozen embryos went missing, and it still does not know what happened to them.
In a letter on Wednesday, Fertility Associates chief medical officer Dr Andrew Murray said a review was sparked after frozen embryos belonging to an Auckland patient went missing in 2025.
He said the family was told as soon as the issue was detected, and kept regularly updated.
“We understand the anxiety and concern a missing embryo would create. We know how much emotional energy goes into the IVF process, and have sincerely apologised to the family,” he wrote.
He said the clinic could say “with absolute confidence” that no embryo was transferred to another patient, and no more embryos were found to be missing.
“We use RI Witness, which is an electronic witnessing system that uses radio frequency identification tags and barcoding to track and monitor patient samples such as eggs, sperm, and embryos throughout the entire IVF process,” Murray explained.
“It provides an automated, real-time layer of security and traceability, avoiding potential mix-ups by sounding an alarm at the workstation if samples are mismatched.”
Dr Andrew Murray. RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
An independent review had confirmed Fertility Associates’ processes were robust and secure, in line with international best practice, he said.
But all frozen embryos in Auckland would now be stored in a new, larger, dedicated area in a building in Greenlane, and the company would be “enhancing senior laboratory oversight and reinforcing training, quality assurance, and internal reporting mechanisms”.
“The relationship we have with our patients is built on trust, and we appreciate that trust has been shaken through this situation. While we can assure you that you have not been impacted by this issue, we understand that you may have questions.”
The letter did not address whether the missing embryos had been located, but in response to further questions by RNZ, Murray confirmed that despite the investigation, the clinic had been unable to locate the patient’s embryos or confirm how they went missing.
“We fully appreciate that the lack of a conclusion and clear answers is frustrating – we share that feeling and have done everything we can to get a definitive answer.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
