Central Florida fertility doctor discusses IVF mix-up, process and risks
The founder and director of the IVF Center in Winter Park, Dr. Mark Trolice, joins WESH 2 to discuss a Seminole County fertility clinic’s in vitro fertilization error
IN VITRO FERTILIZATION IS A METHOD USED TO HELP COUPLES ACHIEVE PREGNANCY. WE’VE GOT A LOCAL STORY THAT HAS GAINED NATIONAL ATTENTION ABOUT A MOTHER WHO GAVE BIRTH TO A BABY GIRL WHO IS NOT GENETICALLY HER CHILD. JOINING ME NOW TO SHED LIGHT ON HOW THIS COULD HAPPEN IS THE FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF THE IVF CENTER IN WINTER PARK, DOCTOR MARK TROLLEYS. DOC, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. MY PLEASURE. MEREDITH DOC, BEFORE WE EVEN GET INTO OUR INTERVIEW, I WANT TO MENTION ABOUT THIS CASE. WANT TO CLARIFY THAT THIS DID NOT HAPPEN AT YOUR CLINIC. YOU’RE HERE JUST TO SHED LIGHT ON THIS AND VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE PROCESS. SO, DOC, LET’S START OFF WITH JUST IVF. I FEEL LIKE SO MANY OF US KNOW THE TERM, BUT JUST BREAK IT DOWN FOR US. EXACTLY WHAT IS IVF? IVF STANDS FOR IN VITRO FERTILIZATION AND THAT’S FERTILIZATION OUTSIDE THE BODY. SO 1978 THIS STARTED IN IN ENGLAND. AND WHERE THEY REMOVE EGGS FROM A WOMAN, ADD — TO THE EGGS IN THE LABORATORY. SO THE WOMAN’S BEEN ON STIMULATING HORMONES. NOW THIS IS HOW THIS HOW WE DO IT. AND SHE HER EGGS ARE REMOVED IN A PROCEDURE ESSENTIALLY IN AN OFFICE UNDER SEDATION, ADDING –, CREATING EMBRYOS, LETTING THE EMBRYOS DEVELOP, AND THEN TRANSFERRING A SELECT NUMBER OF EMBRYOS BACK INSIDE, USUALLY JUST ONE. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO DOC AND YOU’VE BEEN DOING THIS A VERY LONG TIME AT YOUR PRACTICE. LET ME ASK YOU THIS THIS CASE HERE THAT’S GAINED NATIONAL ATTENTION. THE COUPLE WENT THROUGH ALL THE RIGHT STEPS. RIGHT. HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN. HUMAN ERROR IS IS IMPLICIT IN EVERY MEDICAL PROCEDURE THAT IS KNOWN. CHECKS AND BALANCES AND AND TIMEOUTS AND ALL OF THOSE PROCESSES HAVE TO BE IN PLACE TO ENSURE THAT THESE THINGS DON’T HAPPEN. I MEAN, IT’S IN THE MEDICAL LITERATURE, IT’S REPORTED TO BE MUCH LESS THAN 1%. BUT WE DON’T ALWAYS KNOW IF THAT COULD HAPPEN. RIGHT? SO THE THE ATTORNEYS TALK ABOUT THIS RISK POOL. RIGHT. THESE PLACES WHERE THIS COULD HAVE OCCURRED. THERE’S THIS ERROR EVERY TIME YOU YOU HANDLE EGGS, — OR EMBRYOS, THERE’S THE POTENTIAL FOR ERROR. SO WHAT WE DO IS AND WITH MANY CLINICS DO IS IS TIMING OUT BEFORE YOU DO THE PROCEDURE. WE HAVE BIOMETRICS TECHNOLOGY TO ENSURE THAT THE, THE EGGS AND — ARE LABELED ESSENTIALLY WITH THE PATIENT. SO WHEN THE EGGS ARE REMOVED FROM THE LAB OR ANALYZED IN THE LAB, THOSE EGGS HAVE TO BE MARKED FOR THAT PATIENT. RIGHT. AND WE USE BIOMETRICS FOR THAT. THEN — ARE ADDED. SO YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS THE RIGHT EGGS. RIGHT. THE RIGHT –. YOU PUT THEM TOGETHER AND THEN PUT THEM IN THE INCUBATOR TO LET THEM GROW. EVERY TIME THEY’RE REMOVED FROM THE INCUBATOR TO ANALYZE, THERE IS THE POTENTIAL THAT THEY ARE. THERE’S AN ERROR PROCESS THERE, BUT TYPICALLY THE RISK POOL TALKS ABOUT TWO SITUATIONS ONE WHEN WHEN THEY’RE BEING INSEMINATED AND THE NEXT WHEN THEY’RE BEING TRANSFERRED. RIGHT. SO WHERE THIS MAY HAVE OCCURRED IS EITHER INSEMINATION, BUT THE BABY WAS WAS TESTED AND NOT BIOLOGICALLY RELATED TO EITHER ONE OF THE PARENTS. SO IT WASN’T A QUESTION OF WAS IT THE WRONG — OR WRONG EGGS. IT JUST WAS THE WRONG BIOLOGICAL PARENTS. THEN THEY GROW OUT AND THEY FROZE THE EMBRYOS. THE LABELING APPARENTLY WAS HANDWRITTEN AND THEN PUT INTO LIQUID NITROGEN. BUT UNFORTUNATELY, PROLONGED PERIOD OF TIME. AND THIS WE’RE TALKING ABOUT FROM 2020 WHEN THEY WERE WERE CREATED TO THEN IN 2025, THEY MAY BECOME ELIGIBLE. SO THIS TECHNOLOGY THAT’S AVAILABLE NOW THAT WE USE A PROCESS CALLED TOMORROW WHERE WE USE BARCODING, WHERE THE WITH SCANNED INTO THE SYSTEM THAT THAT HOUSES ALL THE EMBRYOS. SO IT’S A MUCH MORE ACCURATE CHECKS AND MEASURES. OKAY DOC LET ME ASK YOU THIS. GOING FORWARD WE’RE SHOWING IMAGES OF THE FAMILY THERE. BUT YOU’VE GOT THIS BEAUTIFUL LITTLE BABY BUT OBVIOUSLY A MIX UP WITH THE EMBRYO. SO WHAT WHAT IS THE FAMILY AND THE CLINIC DO IN THIS SITUATION? BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THIS WOMAN GAVE BIRTH TO THIS BEAUTIFUL CHILD. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, YOU KNOW, THAT’S NOT THEIR EMBRYO, RIGHT? WELL, WHAT WE KNOW NOW AND WHAT I JUST READ FROM, FROM YOUR SITE AND THE NEWS, OTHER NEWS IS THAT IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THERE’S, THERE’S A COUPLE THAT HAVE STEPPED UP THAT THEY WANT TO TEST TO SEE IF THEY ARE THE POTENTIAL BIOLOGICAL PARENTS OF THIS CHILD. HOW DO YOU PREVENT SOMETHING LIKE THIS FROM HAPPENING? I THINK TECHNOLOGY IS GOING TO REACH THE POINT THAT BEFORE EMBRYO TRANSFER, THEY’RE GOING TO TEST THE EMBRYO TO TO CONFIRM GENETICALLY THE PROCESS THAT’S AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW IS SNIP SINGLE NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISMS. NOW IT TAKES A DAY OR TWO TO GET THE RESULTS RIGHT, SOMETIMES UP TO A WEEK OR TWO. BUT IF THEY COULD MORE RAPIDLY ACHIEVE THAT, THAT WOULD BE THE ULTIMATE CHECK TO ENSURE THAT THE EMBRYO IS BEING TRANSFERRED TO THE TO THE CORRECT COUPLE. OKAY, DOC, ALMOST OUT OF TIME, BUT JUST SO CURIOUS HERE, WHAT IS YOUR OPINION HERE? MEDICAL OPINION. WHAT SHOULD THE CLINIC DO IN THIS CASE? WELL, THEY’RE THEY’RE CHECKING ALL. APPARENTLY THEY’RE BEING ASKED TO CHECK ALL OF THE PATIENTS THAT THAT UNDERWENT IN VITRO FERTILIZATION IN THAT LABORATORY DURING THE TIME TO ENSURE THE GENETICS OF THE EMBRYOS. IT’S YOU KNOW, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THEY’RE CONCERNED ABOUT. HIPAA GUIDELINES TO ENSURE THE PROTECTION OF PEOPLE THAT THEY ARE TESTING, THAT IT JUST DOESN’T GET DISCLOSED WITHOUT EVERYBODY’S APPROVAL. SO IT SOUNDS LIKE FROM WHAT I’M READING, THAT DOING ALL THE RIGHT THINGS TO ENSURE THAT THE BIOLOGICAL EMBRYOS ARE CONNECTED TO THE BIOLOGICAL PARENTS, AND DOES THERE NEED TO BE POLICY CHANGE GOING FORWARD? WELL, WE I’M A MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY FOR ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY. I’M ON THOSE COMMITTEES FOR MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE TO ANALYZE THE CLINICS. EVERYTHING THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE IS OUTLINED THROUGH THIS SART AGENCY IN TERMS OF MORE GUIDELINES THAT I DON’T KNOW IF THE IF THE STATE OR NATIONAL IS GOING TO EMPLOY THAT, BUT RIGHT NOW IT’S REALLY A QUESTION OF MAXIMIZING EVERY STEP ALONG THE WAY WITH WITNESSING PROCESSES TO ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE THE RIGHT EGG, — AND EMBRYOS. AND I THINK THAT THE THE ADVANCES THAT HAVE TO HAPPEN IS TO TEST THE EMBRYO BEFORE THAT’S WHAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT IN OUR FIELD. WE’RE NOT THERE YET, BUT I THINK THAT THAT’S WHERE WE’RE
Central Florida fertility doctor discusses IVF mix-up, process and risks
The founder and director of the IVF Center in Winter Park, Dr. Mark Trolice, joins WESH 2 to discuss a Seminole County fertility clinic’s in vitro fertilization error
Updated: 10:08 AM EST Feb 25, 2026
The founder and director of the IVF Center in Winter Park, Dr. Mark Trolice, joins WESH 2 to discuss a Seminole County fertility clinic’s in vitro fertilization error.A Florida couple has filed a lawsuit against Fertility Center of Orlando, alleging their newborn child is not genetically related to either of them after an IVF procedure.Trolice, a board certified reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist, is not connected to Fertility Center of Orlando.
ORLANDO, Fla. —
The founder and director of the IVF Center in Winter Park, Dr. Mark Trolice, joins WESH 2 to discuss a Seminole County fertility clinic’s in vitro fertilization error.
A Florida couple has filed a lawsuit against Fertility Center of Orlando, alleging their newborn child is not genetically related to either of them after an IVF procedure.
Trolice, a board certified reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist, is not connected to Fertility Center of Orlando.