Woman Forced to Give Up Custody of Baby She Birthed, Sues Fertility Clinic That Swapped Embryos: 'I'll Never Fully Recover From This'

A woman was forced to give up custody of a 5-month old baby after a fertility clinic accidentally implanted another couple's embryo.

Krystena Murray was implanted with a fertilized embryo using a donor's sperm at Coastal Fertility Specialists in Georgia. She realized the baby wasn't entirely hers when she gave birth to a Black child, despite both Murray and her donor being white, Newsweek reported, but still wanted to keep the child.

The infant's biological parents, however, sued Murray for custody after the fertility clinic alerted them to the child's birth. Murray voluntarily gave the baby to the family during a court hearing in May 2024. She still doesn't know whether her embryo was mistakenly given to another couple.

"This has destroyed me. I'm heartsick; I'm emotionally broken. Nothing can express the shock and violation upon learning that your doctor put a stranger's embryo into your body," Murray wrote in a statement obtained by Newsweek.

"To carry a baby, fall in love with him, deliver him, and build the uniquely special bond between mother and baby, all to have him taken away. I'll never fully recover from this," she added.

Murray is now suing Coastal Fertility, a chain in Georgia and South Carolina, seeking an amount in excess of $75,000, punitive damages, attorney fees and further relief as the court deems fair and appropriate, according to reporting by Newsweek.