The UK Foreign Office has issued a warning to British citizens about the risks associated with undergoing fertility treatment in the Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus.
As part of an update to its travel advice, the UK Foreign Office said fertility clinics in the area do not operate under the same regulatory framework and oversight as clinics in the UK.
It urged British citizens considering fertility treatment in the Turkish-occupied areas to carry out thorough research and ensure they fully understand the potential risks before making any decisions.
The warning comes as a BBC investigation has identified at least 30 cases in which incorrect sperm or egg donors were allegedly used at fertility clinics in the area.
#Cyprus: Read our latest travel advice for new information about fertility treatment: https://t.co/GIZq6KILXw pic.twitter.com/MPJZCjHdCn
— FCDO Travel Advice (@FCDOtravelGovUK) August 14, 2026
Parents question donor identities
At least 30 children, most of them British, are believed to have been conceived through IVF treatment in the Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus using incorrect sperm or egg donors, according to the BBC investigation.
In each case, parents suspect that the donors they had specifically selected were not used.
The figure is among the latest findings from the BBC investigation, which initially identified seven cases earlier this year.
The parents said they had carefully selected anonymous donors based on information including medical history, appearance, personality, education and interests.
They now fear that the sperm or eggs used in their fertility treatments came from different donors.
Half of the 30 children were born following treatment at the Dogus IVF Centre.
“It is absolutely scandalous,” one mother, Rachel, told the BBC after recently learning that a different sperm donor had allegedly been used from the one she had selected.
Three people – Dr Firdevs Uguz Tip, Dr Sevket Alpturk and patient coordinator Julie Hodson – were involved in the care of many of the patients at Dogus.
Parents suspect that the three may have misled them. Firdevs denies any wrongdoing, while Alpturk and Hodson have not responded to the BBC’s questions.
The BBC also reported that Cryos International, the world’s largest sperm bank, blacklisted Dogus in 2016.
DNA tests raise further concerns
In the Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus, where EU law does not apply and which are internationally recognised only by Turkey, fertility clinics operate under less stringent oversight than those in the UK.
The clinics offer patients lower prices, high success rates and a wide choice of sperm and egg donors.
The area is also a popular destination for British citizens seeking fertility treatment abroad.
The BBC first reported on the emerging allegations in March, after a small group of parents appeared to have been misled about donor identities.
In response to the allegations, the health authorities in the Turkish-occupied areas said they had launched an official investigation. However, they have not responded to repeated BBC requests for further information.
Since then, more parents have contacted the BBC, with their accounts showing concerning similarities.
Most said the clinics they used had promised screened, healthy donors from Western Europe but that they began to have doubts after their children were born.
Eleven of the 30 children have since undergone commercial DNA tests, which indicate that they have Turkish or neighbouring-country genetic ancestry.
This suggests that the donors requested by their parents may not have been used.
Most of the children who underwent DNA testing were conceived through IVF between 2012 and 2024 at the Dogus clinic.
The families are now left with questions about the identities and medical histories of their children’s biological donors.
“These reports are deeply concerning,” said Laura Bridgens, founder of Donor Conceived UK. She said it was a fundamental right for people conceived using donor treatment to know the truth about their origins.
Also read: At least 30 families allegedly misled over IVF donors in occupied north
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