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- Most affected parents are British and say clinics in Turkish-occupied Cyprus used donors different from those they had selected.
- DNA tests reportedly found genetic ancestry from Turkey and neighbouring countries, not the Western European origins families were told.
- Half of the children in the investigation were conceived at Dogus IVF Centre in Nicosia, where most tested cases showed unexpected ancestry.
- Cryos International blacklisted Dogus in 2016, while Cyprus’s Turkish-occupied authorities have launched an investigation.
More than 30 children are believed to have been born through IVF using the wrong sperm or egg donor, according to a BBC investigation.
Dozens of parents, most of them British, fear that IVF clinics in the Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus did not use the donors they had carefully selected.
British families said they chose anonymous sperm or egg donors based on factors including medical history, appearance, personality and education. Many also selected donors with a similar ethnic background to their own.
However, DNA tests later reportedly revealed genetic ancestry from Turkey and neighbouring countries, despite families being told that their donors came from Western European countries.
IVF is a fertility treatment for people experiencing difficulties conceiving. During the procedure, eggs are fertilised with sperm in a laboratory before the resulting embryo is transferred to the womb of either the biological mother or a surrogate.
Around one in every 32 births in the UK now follows IVF treatment.
Concerns first raised in March
According to the BBC, the latest serious allegations involve staff at IVF clinics in the Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus.
The broadcaster first reported concerns about clinics in the area in March, when parents of at least seven children questioned their children’s genetic ancestry.
Of the 30 children included in the investigation, 11 have so far undergone DNA testing. The results reportedly indicate that their genetic ancestry differs from what their parents had selected.
Half of the 30 children were conceived following treatment at the Dogus IVF Centre in Nicosia, in the Turkish-occupied areas. Most of the children who underwent DNA testing and were found to have unexpected ancestry were also conceived at the same clinic.
One mother who underwent treatment at the clinic and discovered that the sperm donor she had selected was not her son’s biological father described the case as “absolutely scandalous”.
Mother discovers donor was not biological father
The woman, identified by the BBC only as Rachel, said she had been concerned for years after undergoing treatment at Dogus in 2012 because her son, Jonah, looked different from the man she had selected as the donor.
Rachel also claims that clinic staff refused to send her evidence from a medical report that would have confirmed the sperm she had requested was used.
After reading about other parents with similar concerns last March, Rachel and Jonah, who is now 13, underwent DNA tests.
The results confirmed that Jonah was Rachel’s biological son but revealed that the sperm donor she had selected was not his biological father.
“I believed the clinic had made an isolated mistake,” Rachel said, adding that it now “seems like something much bigger and more deceptive”.
Three members of Dogus staff were reportedly involved in the care of several patients included in the investigation: Dr Firdevs Uguz Tip, Dr Sevket Alpturk and patient coordinator Julie Hodson.
Dr Firdevs is also reportedly linked to nine other cases at two other clinics, including Miracle IVF, which she now runs.
After being contacted by the BBC, Dr Firdevs denied any illegal or improper conduct and said she had been cleared of any breach of the law.
Dr Alpturk and Julie Hodson had not responded by the time of publication, according to the BBC.
The Daily Mail reported that it had contacted Dogus for comment on the allegations.
Sperm bank blacklisted clinic
The investigation also found that Cryos International, the world’s largest sperm bank, had placed the clinic on its blacklist in 2016.
Cryos told the BBC that it had no records showing that it had ever supplied sperm to Dogus, despite the clinic advertising a partnership with the sperm bank.
Cryos has also ended its relationship with Miracle IVF.
The Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus are a popular destination for IVF treatment, with clinics advertising lower treatment costs and a wide choice of available donors.
Studies indicate that up to one in three UK patients seeking fertility treatment choose to travel abroad, mainly because of the high cost of treatment in Britain.
Rachel paid around £3,200 for her treatment in 2012. IVF treatment in the UK now starts at at least £5,000, while costs can be thousands of pounds higher in some cases.
Questions over regulation
The Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus are internationally recognised as a separate state only by Turkey, and EU law does not apply there.
As a result, fertility clinics in the area may operate under a less stringent regulatory framework than clinics in other jurisdictions.
The so-called “health ministry” in the Turkish-occupied areas confirmed that it launched an official investigation following the allegations in March. It has not provided any further update on its progress.
Laura Bridgens, founder of the charity Donor Conceived UK, said the reports were “deeply concerning”.
She said it was a fundamental human right for a person conceived with donor assistance to know the truth about their ancestry.
Other experts told the BBC that the allegations raise serious questions and could point to “negligence” or even “deception”.
The British Fertility Society said the case highlighted a “systemic problem” that goes beyond an individual doctor or clinic.
Also read: UK issues warning over IVF treatments in occupied north Cyprus
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