Patient dies after IVF treatment

Officials at the Leicester Royal Infirmary confirmed a patient had lost her life on Monday after undergoing IVF treatment at the hospital.

It is understood she developed complications but a cause of death has not yet been identified.

A spokesperson from the hospital said the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority had been informed.

The case has also been reported to the coroner and no further details about the woman have been released.

A spokesperson from the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, said: "Tragically a patient undergoing IVF treatment has subsequently died.

"The cause of death is yet to be determined and a full investigation is underway."

Dr Mark Hamilton, chairman of the British Fertility Society, said: "The procedures used in clinics are very safe and serious complications for patients are extremely rare."

He said that published statistics on Assisted Reproduction in Europe, presented earlier this year at the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology, showed that in 2002, there were two maternal deaths out of 224,000 procedures.

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