In brief
At least 30 children, mostly British, may have been conceived with donors other than those chosen by parents in northern Cyprus. The scandal centres on Dogus IVF Centre, where doctors and staff are accused of misconduct. DNA tests reveal ancestry inconsistent with selected donors, prompting fears that real donors remain unknown. The incident highlights gaps in regulation and patient consent across the low‑cost fertility market.
A surge of British parents have said they were misled by fertility clinics in northern Cyprus about the sperm and egg donors used in their treatments. The allegations, uncovered in a BBC investigation, suggest that at least 30 children were conceived by donors that were not the ones the parents selected.
The majority of affected children were born at Dogus IVF Centre in the winter of 2012–2024, where three key staff members—Dr Sevket Alpturk, Dr Firdevs Uguz Tip and patient coordinator Julie Hodson—are accused of failing to provide the correct donor material. DNA testing performed by families has shown that children’s ancestry points toward Turkish or southern European heritage, contrary to the Danish donor profile parents had chosen through the world’s largest sperm bank, Cryos.
Cryos has confirmed it never supplied sperm to Dogus and has blacklisted the clinic since 2016, citing a failure to honour a patient order. The clinic’s owner and the staff involved have yet to respond to BBC questions, while the northern Cypriot Ministry of Health has been silent on the matter.
Expertise from the British Fertility Society notes that the accidental substitution of a donor is exceedingly rare, implying widespread negligence or intentional deceit. The scandal underscores the loosely regulated nature of fertility treatment in northern Cyprus, a region recognised only by Turkey and outside EU regulatory frameworks.
Families affected retain a right to know the true origins of their children. They may pursue legal and regulatory action, but many fear that the hidden identities and medical histories of multiple children will remain concealed.
, keywords: [IVF, Northern Cyprus, donor deception, fertility clinic, British families, Cryos, DNA testing, health regulation, medical ethics, implantation
