IFG Sells Unproven 'Three-Parent IVF' to Older Women — SkimNews
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- International Fertility Group of North America (IFG) has facilitated hundreds of women from the U.S. and Europe to receive mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT) abroad, despite the procedure being illegal in the U.S. and lacking peer-reviewed data.
- SAGA Clinic in Tirana, Albania performed MRT on patients like Dutch woman Wendy, using donor eggs with robust mitochondria, though the clinic displays an FDA registration logo despite not being authorized to perform such procedures under U.S. law.
- Birol Aydin, an embryologist at SAGA, pioneered the use of MRT for age-related infertility, but unpublished data and internal findings suggest the technique fails for most older women due to factors beyond mitochondrial decline.
- STAT's investigation reviewed private communications, business filings, and client contracts, revealing incomplete data, puzzling DNA test results, and a lack of transparency from IFG and partner clinics about success rates.
- IFG removed all mention of MRT from its website after STAT inquiries, stating it suspended promotion pending a comprehensive review, though it emphasized it does not perform medical procedures and makes no guarantees.
- Aimee Eyvazzadeh, a Bay Area fertility specialist, referred around 50 patients to IFG-linked clinics over three years but reported no successful births, underscoring the gap between marketing claims and real-world outcomes.
Why it matters: Hundreds of women in their late 40s and early 50s have paid over $30,000 for unproven MRT procedures facilitated by IFG, creating a for-profit reproductive experiment with no verified success data—raising ethical concerns about patient exploitation and child health risks.
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