A BBC investigation has uncovered allegations that staff at fertility clinics in northern Cyprus repeatedly misled British families, resulting in at least 30 children being conceived with sperm or egg donors different from those their parents had carefully selected .
The investigation centres on Dogus IVF Centre, where half of the affected children were conceived . Three members of staff have been implicated: Dr Firdevs Uguz Tip, clinic owner Dr Sevket Alpturk, and patient co-ordinator Julie Hodson . Firdevs denies any wrongdoing, while the other two have not responded to requests for comment .
One family’s case reveals the pattern of alleged deception. Beth and Laura, a British same-sex couple, chose Dogus IVF Centre in 2011 and selected a Danish sperm donor referred to as “Finn” . The patient co-ordinator, Hodson, assured them the clinic could import sperm from Cryos International, the world’s largest sperm bank .
When the couple asked how to order Finn’s sperm, Hodson reportedly told them: “Dr Firdevs will order it for you” . Their treatment was carried out by Dr Firdevs Uguz Tip .
The couple requested the same donor for both children to ensure biological relation between siblings . They paid approximately £16,000 total, including £2,000 for the sperm .
However, after their second child James was born, his dark eyes and olive skin raised suspicions. DNA tests later confirmed that neither child had been conceived with Finn’s sperm, and the two children are not biologically related to each other .
The investigation also revealed that Cryos International blacklisted Dogus Clinic in 2016 . The sperm bank has no record of ever delivering sperm to the clinic, despite Dogus advertising their relationship as a key selling point .
“We went from having this nice profile of donor Finn and feeling like we knew the family history and the health history, to just nothing,” Beth told the BBC .
The BBC identified at least 30 affected children, with eleven having taken commercial DNA tests showing genetic ancestry from Turkey or surrounding countries . After Firdevs left Dogus, similar cases emerged at other clinics where she worked .
“It’s absolutely appalling,” said Dr Ippokratis Sarris of the British Fertility Society. “I’ve never heard of an incident like this in the UK. It is the biggest fear of any IVF unit to mix up an egg or sperm or embryo” .
Northern Cyprus lacks an independent fertility regulator, unlike the UK. The territory’s Ministry of Health launched an investigation but has not responded to repeated requests for updates .
“These reports are deeply troubling,” said Laura Bridgens of Donor Conceived UK. “It’s a fundamental human right for a donor-conceived person to know the truth about their origins” .
