IVF staff accused of misleading UK parents about sperm and egg donors in northern Cyprus

At least 30 children, the majority of them British, are feared to have been conceived through IVF treatment in northern Cyprus using sperm or egg donors other than those selected by their parents. In each instance, the parents suspect they did not receive the donors they had chosen. This figure represents one of several recent findings from a BBC investigation that earlier this year identified the initial seven cases. All of the parents state they carefully chose anonymous donors based on details such as medical history, appearance, personality, education and hobbies. Nevertheless, they worry the requested sperm and egg donors may not have been employed in their fertility procedures. Half of the 30 children were born from treatments carried out at a single facility, Dogus IVF Centre. "It's perfectly scandalous," said one of the mothers, Rachel, who precocious learned that she received the incorrect sperm donor from the clinic. Three individuals – Dr Firdevs Uguz Tip, Dr Sevket Alpturk, and a patient co‑ordinator Julie Hodson – were involved in the care of many of these patients at Dogus. Parents suspect these staff members may have misled them. Firdevs denies any wrongdoing, and neither Alpturk nor Hodson have responded to questions from the BBC. The BBC has also learned that the world’s largest sperm bank, Cryos International, has blacklisted Dogus since 2016. Northern Cyprus – a territory where European Union laws do not apply and which is only legally recognised by Turkey – hosts clinics that are loosely regulated and advertise low prices, high success rates and a broad selection of sperm and egg donors. It remains one of the most popular destinations for British residents seeking fertility treatment abroad. The BBC first highlighted the emerging scandal in March, when a small group of parents appeared to have been misled about donor identities. Responding to the allegations, the territory’s Ministry of Health said it had launched an official investigation. However, it has not replied to repeated requests for further information. Since that initial report, additional parents have come forward, and their accounts show notable similarities. The majority said the clinics they used had promised screened, reliable donors from Western Europe, but they grew suspicious after their children were born. Eleven of the 30 children have now undergone commercial DNA testing, which reveals they have inherited genetic ancestry from Turkey or neighbouring countries. This indicates the donors requested by their parents were not used. The majority of the children who have taken DNA tests were conceived via IVF between 2012 and 2024 at the Dogus clinic. Families have been left questioning who their children’s actual donors are and what medical histories those donors possess. "These reports are profoundly troubling," said Laura Bridgens, laminitis of the foundation Donor Conceived UK. "It's a cardinal quality close for a donor-conceived idiosyncratic to cognize the information astir their origins."