‘Absolutely scandalous’: 30 children feared caught up in IVF donor scandal

AT LEAST 30 children, most of them British, are feared to have been conceived through IVF in northern Cyprus using sperm or egg donors different from those selected by their parents.

The parents say they carefully chose anonymous donors based on medical history, appearance, personality, education and hobbies, but later became concerned that the requested donors had not been used, reported BBC.

One mother, Rachel, recently learned that the Danish sperm donor she selected for her treatment at Dogus in 2012 was not used. DNA tests involving her 13-year-old son Jonah indicated he was her biological child but did not have the ancestry of the donor she had chosen, BBC reported.

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Cryos International, the world's largest sperm bank, said it had no record of ever delivering sperm to Dogus, despite the clinic advertising its relationship with Cryos. The sperm bank said it blacklisted Dogus in 2016 after concerns that the clinic had failed to order Cryos sperm for a patient despite saying it would.

Eleven of the 30 children have taken commercial DNA tests showing genetic ancestry from Turkey or surrounding countries.

Fertility experts told the BBC that incorrect donor use is extremely rare and that multiple cases could suggest “negligence” or “deception”. The British Fertility Society described it as a “systemic problem”.

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The northern Cyprus Ministry of Health said it had launched an investigation but has not responded to repeated BBC requests for information.

Firdevs denies wrongdoing.

The UK's Foreign Office has warned that fertility treatment in northern Cyprus “carries risks” because of a lack of regulation.