Chicago Fertility Clinic Malpractice Lawyer

Are you the victim of a fertility clinic malpractice that left you with injuries and damages? The Chicago, IL personal injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC have years of experience helping the injured maximize their compensation.

Discuss your injury claim with a Chicago, IL medical malpractice attorney who will protect your rights and obtain financial compensation. Contact us today at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone call) to schedule a free consultation.

Fertility Treatments

Over the last few decades, many couples have delayed starting or expanding a family until they are older. Their decisions have increased fertility clinics’ popularity that has become significantly more prevalent in society than ever before.

Fertility clinics offer medical technology advancements for couples hoping to conceive, especially those with underlying health conditions making conception difficult. In some cases, the clinic provides the preservation of their patients’ eggs and sperm or freezes their embryos for in vitro fertilization procedures later.

Usually, the fertility doctor can help couples and individuals with conception by prescribing specific medications or using advanced technology that assists in the reproduction process. According to CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) statistics, nearly 2% of all children born in America were conceived through in vitro fertilization or other assisted reproductive technology (ART).

Any failure to properly follow established protocols and procedures often results in a negative outcome through negligence.

Currently Available Fertility Treatments

Not only are fertility treatments expensive in Chicago, IL, but there are also significant risks associated with assisted fertility to couples who are emotionally vulnerable and desperately wanting to birth the child.

Typically, the individual or couple places their trust in experienced reproduction doctors trained in using new technology that could include:

• In vitro fertilization (IVF) – This reproduction process collects the egg and sperm in a laboratory setting where they are fertilized and kept alive until the embryo is inserted into the mother’s uterus.
• Embryo genetic testing (PGT) – Genetic problems that could lead to congenital disabilities (birth defects, including cerebral palsy), miscarriage, or implantation failure can be identified through PGT testing during the IVF (in vitro fertilization) process before transferring the embryo into the uterus.
• Intrauterine insemination (IUI) – Reproductive doctors collect the father’s sperm to insert inside the mother’s uterus while she is ovulating.
• Surgical sperm retrieval (TSAP) – Surgeons use a testicular sperm aspiration process to retrieve sperm using local anesthesia.
• Intracytoplasmic sperm injections (ICSI) – Reproductive doctors inject sperm into the thick or hardened egg’s outer layer to maximize conception potential.

Typically, the in vitro fertilization process involves the potential mother using a hormonal medication that produces multiple eggs during her reproductive cycle. During the process, at the right time, the fertility doctors will retrieve the woman’s eggs to be inseminated with her partner’s sperm and kept alive in a petri dish.

If fertilization occurs, the petri dish will contain one or more embryos that may be inserted into the woman’s uterus a couple of days later for implantation that hopefully results in a successful pregnancy.

In some cases, fertilization involves a donor sperm or donor eggs by individuals who have undergone advanced screening. All people involved must have entered the program and signed a legal agreement concerning the donation of eggs or sperm.

Risk-Related Problems

Every couple or individual interested in fertility treatments should know of the risks associated with artificial insemination and other available reproductive processes. Fertility treatments can cause exposure to many risks for the mother and fetus.

Catastrophic problems caused by medical negligence can occur during childbirth that may injure the mother, the newborn, or both. Most women typically take dangerous fertility medications that could pose significant health risks to the expectant mother during pregnancy, labor, and delivery.

Children involved in the fertility process could suffer developmental problems after their birth. Injuries and disabilities at birth might result from medical malpractice by failing to provide an established standard of care.

Additionally, fertility clinics mishandle embryos. The unintentional mishandling of viable embryos during the fertilization process causes life-altering problems, as does the negligent destruction of embryos kept in frozen storage.

The reproductive specialist can also implant the wrong embryo or fertilize the egg with the wrong sperm during the in vitro fertilization process. Some couples wishing to give birth to one child have multiple births involving twins, triplets, or more.

In some cases, multiple births pose a significant health risk to the mother and newborns during pregnancy, labor, delivery, and afterward. Potential mothers are also at significant risk of experiencing an ectopic pregnancy where the newly fertilized embryo implants outside of the mother’s Fallopian tube.

Other mothers suffer from ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome by producing many eggs due to the fertility treatment medication. In rare cases, the fertility-induced pregnancy may result in premature birth, low birth weight, or genetic disorder.

Any individual or couple suffering injuries from the care provided by fertility clinic doctors may be able to seek financial compensation through a medical malpractice claim.

A Chicago, IL medical malpractice attorney can ensure the victims received financial compensation, including the cost of treatment, hospital expenses, medical bills, lost earnings, pain, suffering, and mental anguish when resolving a medical malpractice claim.

Fertility Clinic Mistakes Leading to Medical Malpractice

Human error is a common occurrence at fertility clinics that creates life-changing problems for the individual or couple paying exorbitant prices to expand their family. The clinic’s specialists may misplace, switch, or destroy the samples.

The facility may follow unacceptable screening procedures when collecting egg and sperm donations. The fertility specialist may perform ART (reproductive technology) improperly, leading to a congenital disability or injury.

In rare Chicago medical malpractice cases, the fertility clinic faced legal liability after destroying the couple’s chances of ever having a baby entirely. Their medical negligence may leave the mother or child with catastrophic injuries or death.

Even under the best circumstances, dealing with infertility in a reproductive clinic can be stressful. Repeated attempts using one or more fertilization methods may not produce any offspring.

Couples and individuals hoping to get pregnant may spend thousands of dollars to take a chance on having the child, knowing that the processes are typically not covered by their insurance. Infertility can create physical, emotional, mental, and financially draining trauma that may or may not produce a child.

Fertility specialists can cause catastrophic errors during the process due to medical negligence, producing adverse outcomes for individuals and couples wanting children. In some cases, a laboratory mistake may lead to a baby being fathered by an unidentified stranger.

Other times, their mistakes lead to severe health defects. Common problems associated with fertility clinics include:

• Miscarriage
• Misdiagnoses
• Birth defects (congenital disabilities)
• Lost embryos
• Damaged frozen eggs
• Prescribing the wrong prescription medication at any stage of the in vitro fertilization procedure
• Lost sperm samples
• Destroyed samples
• Fertilization using the wrong donor’s egg or sperm
• Making an implantation mistake where the embryo is implanted in an ovary instead of in the Fallopian tube leading to an ectopic pregnancy and the potential loss of the baby

In vitro fertilization treatments can lead to severe harm and risks to both the mother and newborn. Before agreeing to fertility treatments, the doctor should explain every potential risk and do comprehensive diagnostic tests to ensure that both parents are suitable for in vitro fertilization.

Fertility Clinic Medical Malpractice Cases

In 2019, NBC released a report revealing the extent of a lack of regulations and oversight leading to mishaps and mistakes at in vitro fertilization clinics. In one case, a couple of Asian descent in New York attempted to get pregnant for years before spending over $100,000 at a California fertility clinic to conceive.

The following year, the woman gave birth to two healthy boys who did not share their Asian heritage. There were indicators that something was wrong during pregnancy, including that the Asian couple had chosen female embryos, yet she was carrying twin boys.

The clinic responded that the sonogram used to identify the gender was incorrect. DNA studies using the couples’ and babies’ genetic material show that they were not related.

One law professor stated that the government only minimally regulates fertility centers. The professor stated there is no specific state law or federal law, or professional guidelines on how specialists should label their samples, diagnose their clients, and handle eggs, sperm, and embryos during the fertilization process.

In a separate case, a New Jersey couple filed a civil lawsuit against a fertility clinic after DNA testing showed the mother delivered a baby from another culture. The Caucasian noticed that the child was developing Asian features at about two years of age.

DNA testing revealed that there was zero possibility that the husband had fathered his child. In time, the confusion and stress lead to the couple divorcing. The young child continues to get visitations from her non-biological father. However, she does not yet know the truth.

Diagnostic testing results revealed that the child has a blood disorder that neither the mother nor non-biological father carries. The divorced couple has sought help from the court that ordered the clinic to produce information on every sperm donor of Asian descent.

Chicago, IL Financial Compensation Medical Malpractice Claim

Victims may have grounds to file a civil lawsuit if the fertility clinic is negligent in providing reproductive assistance leading to harm or serious injuries to the newborn or mother. The family could recover financial compensation by filing and resolving a fertility medical malpractice lawsuit.

Reimbursement for all damages is a part of the victim’s legal settlement to resolve a Chicago, IL medical malpractice case.

In severe cases, the victims may get compensatory damages, including hospitalization costs, medical expenses, lost wages, pain-and-suffering, and punitive damages awarded by a jury to punish the defendant for egregious behavior.

Fertility Clinic Malpractice FAQs

A personal injury attorney representing the victims can build a case on federal, state, and local laws protecting victims suffering injury sustained from medical malpractice. A reputable attorney can answer questions about the law, the state’s statute of limitations, and your time constraints on filing a case. Contact us if you have any questions.

Hiring a Medical Malpractice Attorney to Resolve a Fertility Malpractice Claim

Have you or a family member suffered serious injuries from fertility clinic malpractice? Contact our medical malpractice attorneys today at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone call) to schedule a free consultation to discuss your situation.

Our experienced Chicago, IL fertility malpractice attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC can provide legal counsel for filing and resolving a personal injury compensation case. Our law firm never charges a fee until we can secure a financial award for you in your case.

Any family that lost a loved one from a preventable death can file a wrongful death lawsuit to recover all damages, including medical expenses, lost wages, lost future earnings, loss of companionship, funeral/burial costs, pain, and suffering.

All information you and your loved ones share with our Chicago, Illinois law firm is confidential through an attorney-client relationship. Our medical malpractice lawyer currently follows CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Covid-19 guidelines on social distancing to maintain everyone’s well-being.

Our Chicago, Illinois practice areas include workplace injuries, car crashes, premises liability, medical malpractice, nursing home abuse, product liability, and wrongful death. Our law office currently represents injured clients throughout Illinois in Cook County, Dupage County, Lake County, Peoria County, Sangamon County, Will County, Winnebago County, Aurora, Chicago, Joliet, Schaumburg, and Waukegan.

Resources:

NBC News – Fertility Clinics Lack of Regulations and Oversight

The Chicago, Illinois Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC law offices have years of experience winning multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for our clients. Our Illinois firms' awards and recognitions include the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Super Lawyers, Lawyers Legion, and Lawyers of Distinction.