The Emotional Toll of Embryonic Loss Is Misunderstood.
It is a painful procedure having one’s eggs retrieved through surgery, but not so painful as losing healthy fertilized eggs for no good reason. Kearsten Waldon and her husband Zach, both 39, got the call on Thanksgiving morning (2023) notifying them that, out of eight viable embryos, all were gone.3
They weren’t told until later why, however, leaving Kearsten time to blame herself. “While the IVF process is highly scientific and increasingly political,” she told the New York Times, “many people fail to grasp the emotional toll of embryonic loss.”
The FDA posted a notice of recall on February 15, 2024; the recall was issued December 13, 2023, after the Walden’s loss. Meanwhile, the manufacturer allegedly continued producing and shipping the culture without making sure that magnesium, one of the most essential life-supporting ingredients, was included.
Further, the company is said to have intentionally kept a lid on the information.