A MUM has told how a bungling fertility doctor used the wrong sperm during IVF and then accused her of cheating on her husband.
Elena Samarina was left horrified when she found out her baby girl did not share the same DNA as her spouse Alexander Lysenko.
The couple had been struggling to conceive a child naturally for several years and turned to in vitro fertilisation (IVF) as a last resort.
They underwent the treatment in 2021 at an unnamed clinic in Stavropol, southwestern Russia, which proved successful.
Elena explained she had been monitored closely throughout her pregnancy and had dozens of tests to check up on the unborn tot.
The nurse and her husband Alexander then welcomed their adorable baby girl into the world and discovered she had Down's syndrome.
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The infant underwent a series of blood and DNA tests to confirm the diagnosis, only for the results to expose an even bigger concern.
Elena realised that her daughter's blood type did not match hers or Alexander's, which immediately raised red flags for the health worker.
She panickedly requested further DNA testing to determine that they were in fact the newborn's parents.
It was then confirmed that Elena was the little girl's mother – but shockingly, Alexander was not her father.
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The stunned couple contacted the fertility clinic that had handled their IVF, only to be blown away by their response.
The facility insisted that there was no possibility that a mistake had been made during the complex procedure.
Instead, they allegedly suggested that the only explanation for the mix-up was that Elena had cheated on her beloved husband.
Alexander explained: "They insisted that my wife did not give birth to my child and was trying to hide it.
"They all claimed in unison that a wrongly fertilised embryo was impossible in their clinic.
"She [Elena] had been diagnosed with 'infertility of uncertain origin.'
"In simple terms, she was missing one fallopian tube. In theory, it seems like she could conceive naturally.
"That's what they latched onto."
He and Elena then embarked on a year-long battle to get answers and bring the doctor who handled the botched treatment to justice.
But prosecutors told the parents that the medic wouldn't face trial, as bizarrely he had not broken any laws.
The truth of the bungled conception only came to light after the tot and Elena underwent a series of forensic medicals in November 2022.
Alexander said that experts concluded that his wife could not have conceived her daughter naturally, despite the clinic's claims.
He claimed he was then informed that there had clearly been a sperm "substitution" used during the couple's IVF.
Elena told local media: "Initially, we assumed that a complete embryo substitution had occurred.
"But when we received the results, we understood that I am the biological mother, and he is not the father.
"So, during the IVF procedure, they must have swapped the sperm samples."
The couple claimed that the clinic refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing and stopped communicating with them.
They said the facility continued to insist that Elena must have betrayed her partner by having sex with another man.
A criminal case for medical negligence was eventually opened against the doctor and the clinic, but it was closed last month.
Despite being armed with damning evidence of the sperm swap, prosecutors claimed no crime had been committed.
According to local reports, the fertility doctor responsible was not even suspended while the investigation was ongoing.
But Elena and Alexander have refused to give up hope and are now gearing up for another battle as they challenge the court ruling.
The dad said: "We will appeal this decision. It turns out that anyone undergoing IVF procedures is not legally protected.
"There is no guarantee that they will implant your embryo."
The couple revealed they had tracked down their daughter's biological father, a man who was unknown to the pair of them.
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He was also undergoing IVF treatment with his wife at the same time and facility as them.
But the unidentified man is said to not have made contact and is "not at all interested" in the fate of the little girl or the case, reports say.
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