At least 30 children, most of them British, may have been conceived through IVF using sperm or eggs from donors their parents did not choose, according to a BBC investigation into fertility clinics in northern Cyprus. Parents affected by the allegations are being encouraged to check their treatment records and seek specialist advice if they have concerns about the biological origins of their children.
The investigation has raised serious questions about donor identification, medical oversight and the safeguards protecting families who travel abroad for fertility treatment.
Eleven of the children have so far undergone commercial DNA testing. The results reportedly showed ancestry linked to Turkey or surrounding countries, despite their parents saying they had selected donors described as being from Western Europe.
About half of the 30 cases identified by the BBC are connected to Dogus IVF Centre in Nicosia, where treatment took place over several years.
The allegations have not yet resulted in a final official finding against the clinic or individual members of staff. Authorities in northern Cyprus have previously said an investigation was launched, while medical professionals named in the reporting have either denied wrongdoing or not responded publicly to the allegations.
Parents say donors they carefully selected were not used
Families told the BBC they chose anonymous sperm or egg donors after studying details including medical history, appearance, education, personality and ethnic background.
Some parents travelled from Britain to northern Cyprus partly because fertility treatment was cheaper and they were offered a wide choice of donors.
But suspicions emerged after some children developed physical features that appeared significantly different from those expected from the selected donors.
DNA tests subsequently intensified those concerns.
One mother, identified as Rachel, discovered that although her son was biologically hers, the sperm used in her treatment did not appear to have come from the Danish donor she had selected.
“It’s absolutely scandalous,” she told the BBC.
Her concern is not simply about appearance. Families say they were given health and family-history information about specific donors, which could be important if their children later need information about inherited medical conditions.
The case also raises questions about a donor-conceived person’s ability to understand their biological origins.
Major sperm bank says it never supplied Dogus
One of the most significant claims concerns Cryos International, one of the world’s largest sperm banks.
Parents said they were led to believe that sperm selected through Cryos would be supplied for their treatment.
However, Cryos told the BBC it had no record of delivering sperm to Dogus IVF Centre and said the clinic had been blacklisted in 2016.
The company said the action followed concerns that Dogus might not have been ordering the sperm that patients believed they had selected.
Cryos has also suspended its relationship with another fertility provider, Miracle IVF, while authorities investigate the wider allegations.
These are serious claims, but it is important to distinguish allegations from established legal findings. No court judgment cited in the investigation has determined that clinic staff deliberately substituted donors.
Doctors and clinic staff respond to allegations
Three people who worked with many patients at Dogus were identified in reports as Dr Firdevs Uguz Tip, Dr Sevket Alpturk and patient coordinator Julie Hodson.
Parents have questioned whether they were given accurate information about the donors used during their treatment.
Dr Firdevs has denied wrongdoing. According to the reports, she said she was not responsible for ordering sperm and challenged some of the conclusions being drawn from DNA testing.
She has also said she was cleared of breaching the law.
The other staff members named in the investigation did not respond to the BBC’s questions, according to the broadcaster.
The investigation therefore remains ongoing, and responsibility has not been established against every person associated with the clinics.
What is IVF and why donor identity matters?
In vitro fertilisation, or IVF, is a fertility treatment in which eggs are collected and fertilised with sperm in a laboratory. An embryo created through the process is then transferred into the womb.
The NHS explains that donor sperm can be prepared in a laboratory before fertilisation takes place.
When donor eggs or sperm are involved, accurate identification is particularly important because parents may make their choice based on genetic health history and other characteristics.
Britain’s fertility regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, warns people considering treatment overseas that rules and safeguards can differ significantly between countries.
The HFEA advises patients to investigate how donors are recruited and screened, whether infectious and genetic conditions are checked, how donor anonymity works and whether there are limits on the number of families created using one donor.
Unlike treatment at a licensed UK fertility clinic, overseas treatment may not provide the same regulatory protections.
Northern Cyprus authorities investigating
Health authorities in northern Cyprus said earlier this year that they had opened an investigation following the first reports about families receiving donors they had not selected.
No final findings from that investigation have yet been announced.
The latest BBC investigation significantly expands the number of potentially affected children from the seven cases originally identified to at least 30.
This does not necessarily mean every case involved deliberate wrongdoing. Each family’s circumstances and treatment records would need to be examined separately.
However, the number of similar complaints has increased pressure on regulators to establish what happened and whether weaknesses in oversight allowed incorrect donor material to be used.
The issue also comes amid concerns about regulation of fertility treatment in northern Cyprus, a destination that attracts British patients because procedures can cost less than comparable private treatment in the UK.
What should UK families considering IVF abroad do?
The HFEA says people considering fertility treatment abroad should research clinics carefully before committing to treatment.
Patients using donor sperm or eggs should ask how the clinic verifies the identity of the donor, where reproductive material is sourced, what screening has been completed and whether records will remain available to the child later in life.
Families should also understand that rules on donor anonymity and legal parenthood vary between countries.
Anyone who has already received treatment overseas and is worried about their donor information could seek advice from their clinic, a fertility specialist or an organisation supporting donor-conceived families.
The allegations highlight why fertility treatment is not simply about cost or success rates.
For the families involved, the central question is now whether they were given what they paid and consented for — and whether their children will ever be able to obtain reliable information about their biological origins.
Readers can follow more health news and patient-safety reports on New Daily Prime.
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