Nitrogen failure at SF fertility clinic; damage to frozen eggs unknown

A San Francisco fertility clinic acknowledged Sunday that it suffered a liquid nitrogen failure in a storage tank that may have damaged thousands of frozen eggs and embryos and the hopes of people hoping to have children.

Hundreds of patients whose eggs or embryos were stored in the tank for future use have been notified, said a spokesman for the Pacific Fertility Clinic. The number of eggs and embryos affected was not disclosed.

The spokesman, Tom Becker, confirmed a Washington Post report of the March 4 incident. Pacific Fertility said in a statement that “the vast majority of the eggs and embryos in the lab were unaffected, and the facility is operating securely.