Begin a New Life

Fertility treatment is deeply personal, and we know that the past several weeks have been difficult for many of our patients and families. The emotional, physical, and financial commitment that fertility care requires is significant, and we understand how disruptive it can be when treatment plans change unexpectedly.

We are writing today to share an update on the temporary pause of IVF laboratory services and the work that has been underway since mid-January.

As we previously shared, our clinical team observed unexpected fertilization outcomes during a small number of IVF cycles performed on January 15, 16, and 17, 2026. While variation can occur in fertility treatment, the results observed during that period were not consistent with our typical laboratory outcomes.

There has been no indication that patients were exposed to any safety risk.

When our team identified these unexpected results, our physicians and laboratory leadership made the decision to pause IVF laboratory procedures immediately so that we could conduct a thorough review of every factor that can influence laboratory performance. As we explained previously, this included examining laboratory equipment, environmental systems, procedures, and quality control processes.

Although our internal review did not identify a single clear explanation for the outcomes observed, we believed it was important to take the additional step of engaging an independent IVF laboratory expert to conduct an external assessment of our laboratory environment, equipment, and processes.

That independent external review has now been completed and has confirmed that Omega’s laboratory operates to a high professional standard and did not identify any indication of patient safety risk.

It did not identify a single definitive cause for the unexpected fertilization outcomes observed in mid-January, and it found that the clinic’s laboratory practices, systems, and oversight meet the professional standards expected in a modern IVF program.

As is typical with comprehensive laboratory assessments, the review also provided recommendations for additional monitoring and safeguards that can further strengthen our already rigorous systems.

Separately, we can also confirm embryos stored in cryostorage were not affected by the circumstances that led to the laboratory pause.

Before resuming full IVF laboratory services, our team is completing an additional careful step-by-step validation process designed to confirm that every aspect of the laboratory environment is performing exactly as expected.

Full IVF services will resume only once these steps confirm that all laboratory systems are performing as expected.

We are encouraged by the progress made so far and are now well into this validation process.

Throughout this period, our physicians and care team have continued working directly with affected patients to review individual care plans and provide support. As outlined in our previous update, we have also taken steps to support patients whose cycles were interrupted, including reimbursement of medication costs and ensuring that government-funded IVF cycles are not counted against patients whose treatments were paused.

We understand how important it is for patients to receive clear information during times like this. Our goal has been to approach this situation with the same care and diligence that we bring to every aspect of fertility treatment: by investigating thoroughly, validating our systems carefully, and communicating transparently as we move forward.

Our next update will be posted March 30, 2026.

We hope to complete the remaining validation steps involved in restoring full laboratory services as soon as possible and will have more information at that time.

We are grateful for the patience, understanding, and trust our patients have shown during this period. Our entire team remains focused on ensuring that when services resume, patients can move forward with confidence in the care we provide.

If you have questions about your treatment plan or upcoming care, we encourage you to contact our care team so we can speak with you directly.

Dr. Jackie Hollett-Caines
Dr. Angelos Vilos
Medical Directors
Omega Fertility Center