UK woman killed by rare IVF risk, Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome
By BBC News,
BBC News
| 04. 13. 2005
Temilola Akinbolagbe, 33, from Plumstead, south London, collapsed at a bus stop after developing Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS).
The potentially fatal form of the condition affects about one per cent of women undergoing IVF, although a less severe form is more common.
Experts believe this was the first such death from OHSS in the UK.
Mild and moderate forms of OHSS have been reported to affect up to 20% of women undergoing ovarian induction, which mimics the production of normal hormones.
It is believed there have been three other deaths from the condition in the last 30 years.
Mrs Akinbolagbe, from Plumstead, south London, started to feel ill after receiving fertility treatment.
She was taken to hospital immediately, but suffered a massive heart attack.
Mrs Akinbolagbe's life support machine was turned off five days later.
Her husband, Samuel Ifaturoti, said his wife had been "very positive" about the fertility treatment.
'Not a particular risk'
Gynaecologist John Parsons said staff at Kings College Hospital, where she had received her fertility treatment, were all shocked by Mrs Akinbolagbe's death.
He said: "We...
Related Articles
By Courtney Withers and Daryna Zadvirna, ABC News | 12.03.2025
Same-sex couples, single people, transgender and intersex West Australians will be able to access assisted reproductive technology (ART) and surrogacy, almost a decade after reforms were first promised.
The landmark legislation, which removes the requirement for people to demonstrate medical...
By Rachel Hall, The Guardian | 11.20.2025
Couples are needlessly going through IVF because male infertility is under-researched, with the NHS too often failing to diagnose treatable causes, leading experts have said.
Poor understanding among GPs and a lack of specialists and NHS testing means male infertility...
By Grace Won, KQED [with CGS' Katie Hasson] | 12.02.2025
In the U.S., it’s illegal to edit genes in human embryos with the intention of creating a genetically engineered baby. But according to the Wall Street Journal, Bay Area startups are focused on just that. It wouldn’t be the first...
Several recent Biopolitical Times posts (1, 2, 3, 4) have called attention to the alarmingly rapid commercialization of “designer baby” technologies: polygenic embryo screening (especially its use to purportedly screen for traits like intelligence), in vitro gametogenesis (lab-made eggs and sperm), and heritable genome editing (also termed embryo editing or reproductive gene editing). Those three, together with artificial wombs, have been dubbed the “Gattaca stack” by Brian Armstrong, CEO of the cryptocurrency company...