A Florida couple says a fertility clinic used another man’s sperm during their IVF treatment, leaving the husband with a “zero percent probability” of being the biological father of their baby girl.
Natalie and Joshua Strong endured years of injections, hormone treatments, medication and the pain of a failed IVF cycle before welcoming their long-awaited daughter in 2025.
Their happiness collapsed within a day of her birth, when routine blood tests indicated that Joshua was not the child’s biological father.
The couple alleges that Brown Fertility in Jacksonville used sperm from an unidentified man to create the embryo that became their daughter. The clinic has denied the allegation, CNN reports.
A subsequent DNA test confirmed the devastating result.
“I just don’t understand how one little mistake like that could affect our whole lives forever,” Natalie told CBS News.
She emphasized that the discovery had not changed her feelings for her newborn daughter.
“I was so happy I had her and I love her more than anything in the world,” Natalie said. “But to hear that right after you have your baby is devastating.”
The couple is suing Brown Fertility and its lead physician, Dr. Samuel Brown, as they seek to learn the identity of their daughter’s biological father and determine what happened to Joshua’s sperm.
They are also worried that the alleged mix-up could affect more than the daughter they are raising.
Natalie and Joshua are pictured with their daughter, who was born in 2025 following their second IVF cycle. After her birth, they learned that Joshua was not her biological father
Natalie kisses her baby daughter, whom she says she loves “more than anything in the world,” despite the devastating questions surrounding her conception
Joshua lowered his head as an emotional Natalie wiped away tears while the couple spoke publicly about the alleged IVF error they say has changed their lives forever
The Strongs still have three embryos in storage and say they do not know whose sperm was used to create them.
Joshua is also haunted by another unanswered question: whether his sperm may have been mistakenly used in someone else’s IVF treatment.
“We have no idea if they still have it, if they’ve used it elsewhere,” Joshua told CNN. “If there are other potential children somewhere, we have no idea.”
The ordeal began after what should have been one of the happiest moments of their lives.
Natalie and Joshua started IVF treatment in 2023, hoping to have a biological child together. Their first cycle was unsuccessful.
Natalie then underwent another round of injections, hormone treatments and medication, which ultimately led to a successful pregnancy.
“We finally got our beautiful baby girl, and it was the best day of my life,” she said.
According to their lawsuit, the couple was told after their daughter’s birth that she had type B-positive blood.
Natalie holds her daughter during a joyful family moment. The couple says the IVF revelation has not diminished their love for the child and that they “couldn’t imagine not having her in our lives”
The couple’s joy turned to shock when their daughter’s blood type raised questions about her paternity. DNA testing later found a “zero percent probability” that Joshua was her biological father
Both Natalie’s and Joshua’s blood types are negative, and the lawsuit claims their daughter’s blood type was incompatible with Joshua being her biological father.
Joshua said he immediately suspected that something had gone wrong.
“Within a day they told us her blood type and I pretty much knew immediately that something was messed up at that point,” he said.
For Natalie, who had only just given birth, the news turned a moment of elation into one filled with fear and uncertainty.
“I was worried, confused,” she recalled. “I didn’t know how that would be possible with all the stuff we’ve been through for the last few years.”
Joshua has described experiencing a painful mix of emotions.
“Obviously, I love her tremendously. And I’m so happy that we have her,” he said.
At the same time, he called the situation “a struggle” involving feelings that are difficult to express.
Joshua became visibly emotional at a press conference while describing the couple’s ordeal.
“I think about it every day,” he said. “It’s just overwhelming at times.”
Natalie and Joshua Strong began IVF treatment in 2023, enduring one failed cycle before conceiving the daughter they had spent years hoping to have together
The Strongs say they plan to tell their daughter about the circumstances of her conception when she is old enough to understand.
Natalie said questions about genetics, medical history and physical appearance could make it impossible to keep the truth from her indefinitely.
“We do eventually want to tell her when she’s old enough to understand,” she said, adding that she hopes her daughter knows “that her parents are enough for her.”
The couple says finding the biological father matters chiefly because their daughter has a right to know her genetic background and medical history.
Their attorney, Rob Marcereau, said the lawsuit followed nearly a year of efforts to obtain answers from Brown Fertility.
“We’ve gotten nothing,” Marcereau said, explaining that the litigation seeks to establish “what happened, whose sperm was used, what happened to Joshua’s sperm” and how the alleged error occurred.
Brown Fertility has denied the Strongs’ allegations. A spokesperson said the clinic would not comment further while the case is being litigated.
The dispute has also put the couple’s plans to expand their family on hold.
Three embryos remain at Brown Fertility, although their attorneys say arrangements are being made to transfer them elsewhere.
“We have no idea whose sperm was used on the remaining three embryos,” Joshua said. “We don’t have any clue.”
Joshua and Natalie are pictured with their daughter as they seek answers about whose sperm was used to create her and what happened to the sample Joshua provided to the clinic
The couple filed a negligence lawsuit against the fertility clinic and Dr. Samuel Brown last Thursday, alleging that the wrong sperm was used to create their embryos
The couple conceived through IVF at Brown Fertility but learned soon after their daughter’s birth that her blood type made it biologically impossible for both of them to be her parents
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“I am getting older and I don’t know how much longer I can process, you know, go through the process of that again,” Natalie added.
For now, she said, the couple is focused on the little girl they spent years trying to have.
“We’re really happy with our daughter we have now,” Natalie said. “We love her to death and we couldn’t imagine not having her in our lives.”
“I have an interest in finding out what our baby’s genetic history is for her health reasons,” Natalie said. “But further than that, no.”
Marcereau said fertility errors may be more common than many Americans realize, alleging that understaffing, inadequate training and weak quality-control systems can contribute to mistakes at some clinics.
Another attorney representing the couple described fertility treatment in the United States as the “Wild, Wild West of medicine,” arguing that the industry lacks the broad oversight found in some other countries.
Natalie said the family wants answers not only for themselves but also to help prevent another couple from enduring a similar experience.
“I just hope they do better for the next couples they take care of,” she said. “We don’t want it to happen to another family. It’s devastating.”
Brown Fertility has since issued a statement to Our News Outlet.
“We are aware of the lawsuit filed by the Strong family. We care deeply about them and their daughter.
“Our patients trust us at some of the most important moments of their lives, and we do not take that trust lightly. We follow rigorous protocols, including the standards of the College of American Pathologists (CAP), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART). Over the past year, we have conducted a comprehensive review of our processes and continue to examine them.
“Brown Fertility has served more than 20,000 patients, and the health and happiness of our patients and their families is our top priority. Because this matter is in litigation, we are limited in what we can say. We will respond to the claims through the legal process.”
