High-flying businesswoman, 51, sues IVF clinic for ‘thousands and thousands’ after struggling stroke at fertility therapy ‘bootcamp’ that left her with imaginative and prescient loss

A high-flying businesswoman is suing for ‘millions’ in compensation after suffering a stroke following ‘bootcamp’ fertility treatment that left her with vision loss.

Navkiran Dhillon-Byrne, 51, began a cycle of private IVF treatment at the Assisted Reproduction and Gynaecology Centre (ARGC) in Wimpole Street, London, but suffered a stroke ten days after it was completed.

Ms Dhillon-Byrne, chief marketing officer at the City of London base of an international software company, turned to the ARGC four years after ‘ageing out’ of NHS treatment and being unsuccessful at another private practice.

She underwent IVF in April 2018, but then had the stroke, which her lawyers say has left her with ongoing vision problems, on April 28.

As part of her IVF cycle, she had also agreed to undergo a ‘controversial’ one-off ‘add-on’ treatment in the form of pioneering IVIg immunotherapy, designed to moderate the body’s immune responses during pregnancy.

The executive is now suing the clinic and Dr Mohamed Taranissi, claiming medics failed to give her sufficient warnings about stroke risks connected with the additional treatment.

But the clinic and Dr Taranissi deny blame, insisting that Ms Dhillon-Byrne was given the full facts over the risks she faced and also disputing that IVIg caused her stroke.

The ARGC clinic, located yards from Harley Street, is headed up by pioneering IVF specialist Dr Taranissi.

Its website states staff focus on ‘in-depth investigations, daily monitoring and real-time treatment adjustments’ and displays the slogan ‘some call it IVF bootcamp – our patients call it their miracle’.

Central London County Court heard that after ageing out of her window for NHS fertility treatment, Ms Dhillon-Byrne had an unsuccessful attempt at IVF at another well-regarded London clinic before turning to the ARGC.

She told the court she had been trying to have a child since 2014 and, although she had become pregnant on three occasions, she ended up miscarrying.

Ms Dhillon-Byrne said she opted for the ARGC after it was recommended by a friend who praised its high success rates.

But she is claiming she was not warned of the ‘specific’ risks of thrombosis in relation to the IVIg part of her treatment and blames it for the stroke she suffered on April 28, 2018.

Now suing for negligence and breach of duty, Ms Dhillon-Byrne also maintains that the clinic overestimated her chances of a successful outcome from IVF and failed to secure her ‘informed consent’ before commencing treatment.

Had she been given a clear picture of her chances of a successful pregnancy, she wouldn’t have consented to IVF and the supplemental IVIg therapy, she insists.

IVIg therapy is a type of immunotherapy that involves administering a solution of antibodies from healthy donors into a patient. It can be used to treat certain immune disorders, and some studies have shown it can improve successful birth rates in patients with a history of miscarriages.

Denying Ms Dhillon-Byrne’s claims, the clinic’s KC, Clodagh Bradley, told the court that the success rate advice given was ‘accurate and in accordance with the ARGC data,’ adding that she had been informed that the immune treatment was new and ‘still controversial’.

But in her evidence, Ms Dhillon-Byrne said she felt rushed during some of her consultations, claiming that she received scant information about the role of IVIg therapy when she raised the issue with one of the clinic’s doctors.

‘I asked why it would be used,’ she told the court, adding: ‘I was being rushed out of the door and he didn’t share much information with me, other than that they found it more effective.’

She added that she was shocked by the lack of attention her consultant showed her as a patient, explaining: ‘My first consultation was quite quick, and I remember my husband and I walking out of there and being surprised by its duration. It definitely wasn’t the length of consultation we were used to.

‘We were a bit surprised,’ she told the court.

The clinic’s defence barrister Ms Bradley insisted there must have been a ‘long and detailed consultation’ given the careful and full clinical note made by her doctor.

But Ms Dhillon-Byrne’s barrister Charles Feeny argued that offering his client IVIg treatment was ‘unethical,’ adding: ‘A responsible medical practitioner would not prescribe and administer a treatment with high risk attached without there being significant evidence to support its possible benefit and without informing the patient of the risk.

‘The offering of IVIg treatment was therefore unethical.’

The clinic had also failed to clarify the stroke factor risks linked to IVIg, he argued.

‘The claimant was not given any warning of the specific risk of thrombosis in IVIg treatment,’ he continued.

‘On the defendant’s case, she was only warned of the risk of thrombosis in IVF treatment/pregnancy, but not of the additional risk of IVIg treatment.’

But Ms Bradley argued that Ms Dhillon-Byrne was determined to carry on with her treatment even if it carried risks, claiming that ‘even after her stroke she was still considering further IVF treatment later in 2018 and in 2019.

Ms Dhillon-Byrne’s lawyers denied this.

‘Reasonable and appropriate advice was given to the claimant about her treatment with IVF and IVIg during consultations, attendances and telephone calls with the ARGC, and she gave informed consent, having been appropriately advised about the risks and benefits, alternative options and the option of no treatment,’ Ms Bradley said.

‘With respect to the risk of thrombosis, the claimant would have been advised about the potential risk which comes with all IVF treatment.

‘Thrombosis may occur in the presence of elevated oestrogen levels,’ she said, adding that aspirin and other preventive medication was prescribed.

Lawyers said outside court that if successful Ms Dhillon-Byrne’s claim is likely to be worth ‘millions’ due to the impact of the stroke on her high-flying career.

The trial continues.