‘Our whole family traumatised due to IVF mix-up’: Gurugram couple narrates their ordeal

New Delhi, June 15 (IANS) A Gurugram couple, at the receiving end of In-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment gone wrong because of ‘embryo swapping’, shared their harrowing ordeal on how an alleged negligence by the clinic and doctors has pushed them and their entire family into despair and depression.

Rahul Rathore, speaking to IANS, said that they are emotionally, physically and mentally drained over the indifference and callousness of the authorities, including the medical board that could have looked into the mix-up of their embryo during IVF treatment and offered some ‘solution’ to their woes, rather than looking away.

The Gurugram-based couple, Rahul Rathore and his wife, Meenu Rathore, have been running from pillar to post for the past three months, seeking information on their ‘real babies’ and demanding a thorough investigation into the entire goof-up.

“Our ageing parents are under immense pain. My father is so traumatised that he has gone completely silent, and my 80-year-old mother is in mental shock. My wife and other family members are struggling very hard to cope with the trauma inflicted on us,” Rahul Rathore told IANS.

The couple has been approaching the concerned authorities and the police for the past three months, but their complaint has fallen on deaf ears. An FIR was lodged only recently after the court directed a probe into the matter.

The couple said that they are emotionally and mentally broken, and if they don’t receive justice soon, their lives will be ruined.

According to the couple, their ordeal began last year, when they went to a reputed IVF hospital for treatment. They followed the due process of semen collection, egg retrieval and embryo development.

On May 14, 2025, the embryos were implanted into the woman’s womb, and she gave birth to twin daughters in January this year. However, the real trouble began when they suspected sharp differences in infants’ features.

The couple got DNA profiling conducted on the infants, and the results purportedly didn’t match, proving that the twins were not their biological children.

“Both the maternity and paternity tests were negative,” said Rahul Rathore and added his wife started suffering from memory loss due to this.

“We still don’t know at what stage the embryos were exchanged,” he added.

The couple are demanding a probe into the matter, including checks of embryo and lab records and an inspection of the IVF clinic’s CCTV footage.

While the couple struggles with emotional turmoil, their IVF nightmare has sparked widespread concern about oversight and safeguards within fertility treatments in the country.

–IANS

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