BBC
Laura and her partner are facing the unsettling reality that the sperm used to conceive their child, James, was incorrect.
"It became evident soon after James was born that something was amiss," recalls Laura.
She and her partner, Beth, are parents to two children - James and their elder daughter, Kate - both of whom were conceived through IVF treatments at a clinic located in Northern Cyprus.
Using their eggs, the couple had meticulously selected one anonymous, healthy sperm donor. They specified to the clinic that it was crucial for both children to be conceived with the same donor for biological connection.
However, upon James's birth, they observed a discrepancy: his striking brown eyes stood out in contrast to those of his biological mother, Beth, as well as the characteristics of their chosen sperm donor. This discrepancy prompted them to question whether there had been an error at the clinic.
After almost ten years of uncertainty, Beth and Laura opted for DNA testing for their children. The results revealed that neither child was related to the sperm donor they had selected, and troublingly, it suggested that the children were not even related to one another.
"The dread of knowing something had gone drastically wrong left us concerned about the implications for our children," Beth reflects.
BBC News has engaged with families of seven children in total who suspect that incorrect sperm or egg donors were utilized during their IVF procedures. Most of these families underwent commercial DNA tests that appeared to corroborate their concerns.
All incidents are linked to clinics in Northern Cyprus, a territory where European Union regulations do not apply and which is officially recognized only by Turkey.
Recent trends indicate that Northern Cyprus has emerged as a favored destination for British individuals seeking fertility treatments abroad, according to experts. The clinics operate under loose regulatory oversight, promoting competitive prices and high success rates.
These facilities present a diverse collection of anonymous egg and sperm donors sourced from around the globe, making them particularly appealing to individuals experiencing fertility challenges, as well as members of the LGBT community and single adults who may lack similar options in their home countries.
Social media platforms are replete with videos and testimonials of hopeful parents sharing their successful experiences.
Clinics in Northern Cyprus provide procedures that are prohibited in the UK, such as gender selection for non-medical purposes. Despite the Ministry of Health in the territory overseeing these fertility clinics, they have not addressed our inquiries, despite repeated attempts for comment.
'We thought we had ordered sperm from Denmark'
Establishing trust with the families participating in this investigation took considerable time and effort. Beth, Laura, Kate, and James were approached with care to ensure they felt prepared to share their experiences.
Beth and Laura recounted their journey to parenthood, which began in 2011.
They chose the Dogus IVF Centre in Northern Cyprus. At that time, the patient coordinator, Julie Hodson, informed them that the clinic had the ability to import frozen sperm from the world's largest sperm bank, Cryos International, located in Denmark.
The couple expressed that they were impressed by the selection of anonymous donors, all of whom underwent "comprehensive health screenings" and psychological assessments.
One donor, referred to as "Finn," captured their interest. A Dane who characterized himself as fit and healthy, Finn reported minimal alcohol consumption and a non-smoking lifestyle.
In a handwritten note they viewed, Finn articulated his motivation for donating sperm as a desire to "bring life and happiness to others."
Beth and Laura believed that the comprehensive donor profile would offer their future children a sense of comfort as they grew. "It was vital for our children to have some understanding of who their donor was, as that represents half of their identity," Beth notes.
Finn and his Danish family exhibited similar physical traits to the UK couple, including light eyes and brown hair, as corroborated by an extensive family tree.
"We inquired about the process for ordering Finn's sperm," Laura recalls. "Julie responded, 'Dr. Firdevs will order it for you.' That was the extent of our information."
The couple report that their IVF treatment at Dogus was overseen by Dr. Firdevs Uguz Tip, whom they describe as "kind and friendly."
Nine months later, Laura welcomed their daughter, Kate.
When they decided to have a second child, they returned to the same IVF team and requested donor Finn once more. According to an email from Hodson, Firdevs would reorder the sperm.
Subsequently, Beth gave birth to James.
The total cost of their fertility treatment in Northern Cyprus, inclusive of medications, accommodations, and airfare, reached approximately £16,000, with Finn's sperm priced at £2,000.
From early on, the couple maintained transparency with their children about the man they believed to be their donor. "Both children would describe themselves as 'half-Danish,'" Laura explains.
Nevertheless, James's dark eyes, dark hair, and olive complexion led to growing doubts about whether his sperm donor was indeed Finn. After significant consideration, Beth and Laura decided it was time for both children to undergo DNA testing.
The results indicated that neither child had been conceived with Finn's sperm. Additionally, they suggested that the children originated from different sperm donors and were not biologically related.
The findings left the parents feeling "absolutely infuriated" and facing a flurry of unanswered questions regarding the identities of the actual donors and any health screenings that may have been conducted.
"We transitioned from having a detailed profile of donor Finn, which gave us a sense of familiarity with his lineage and medical history, to complete uncertainty," says Beth.
After their attempts to contact Firdevs and Hodson were met with silence, the BBC conducted a thorough investigation into Beth and Laura's case.
During this process, we identified two additional British families who had been treated by Firdevs and also expressed concerns regarding potentially incorrect donor usage in their IVF procedures.
These families have also completed commercial DNA tests aligning with their suspicions.
Beth and Laura now ponder the possibility that their clinic did not appropriately order Finn's sperm.
In our outreach to Firdevs, she claimed she was not responsible for ordering sperm at Dogus and maintained that no information about the request for Finn had been communicated to her.
Additionally, she questioned the accuracy of Beth and Laura's commercial DNA test, asserting that it was impossible to conclude "with certainty" that the wrong donor was used.
Firdevs has also communicated to the BBC that she "did not perform IVF treatments" between 2011 and 2014, the period during which Beth and Laura were patients, despite Dogus's own website identifying her as offering procedures during that timeframe.
The Dogus clinic, which Firdevs claims was responsible for Beth and Laura's treatment, has not responded to our inquiries for comment.
By 2015, Firdevs and Hodson had departed from Dogus and were collaborating at another clinic in Northern Cyprus.
Hodson, who has since left the territory, has not addressed the BBC's questions about whether she communicated the sperm order to Firdevs.
Beth, Laura, and their children have since taken additional accredited DNA tests, suitable for British court disclosure, which have confirmed that James and Kate are not biologically related and were not conceived from the same sperm donor.
A leading forensic genetics expert, who has assessed all the family's tests, expressed that it is improbable for either child to be biologically linked to donor Finn.
In our discussions with Cryos International, the Danish sperm bank from which Beth and Laura, along with one other family in our investigation, believed sperm had been ordered, the CEO, Ole Schou, stated, "We implement numerous security measures, but achieving complete certainty is ultimately a human endeavor." He added, however, that such an error had never been documented in Cryos's 45-year history.
A diverse array of fertility specialists from across Europe informed the BBC that while the likelihood of an incorrect donor being mixed in during an IVF procedure is rare, the recurrence of such a significant error involving the same medical team could indicate potential "negligence" or even "deception," as concluded by our experts.
"This situation is utterly unacceptable for patients," stated Dr. Ippokratis Sarris from the British Fertility Society after reviewing the findings. "I have never encountered a situation like this within the UK. The foremost concern of any IVF unit is to avoid mixing up eggs, sperm, or embryos."
Northern Cyprus possesses its own set of fertility regulations; however, unlike the UK, it lacks an independent fertility regulator responsible for monitoring clinics, maintaining standards, and, if necessary, revoking licenses.
Mine Atli, a lawyer and activist residing there, remarked, "Clinics that adhere to the law do so out of a sense of integrity rather than being mandated by the state."
The absence of stringent regulation can lead to increased costs, often making treatments more expensive in countries like the UK. Dr. Sarris from the British Fertility Society highlighted this aspect as one reason for Northern Cyprus's growing popularity for fertility treatments.
Concerns have been raised regarding the potential mental health implications for individuals who may discover that their biological donors were not who they believed them to be; such revelations could have a profound influence on them according to Nina Barnsley from the Donor Conception Network.
'I don't want to lie to my child'
The BBC has also engaged with two additional British families who underwent treatments with Firdevs more recently than Beth and Laura and who believe they too received incorrect donors.
These families opted to remain anonymous but were patients at Miracle IVF Centre, founded by Firdevs in 2019.
Both families required egg donors to conceive their children and suspected that the eggs they received did not align with their selections. Subsequent DNA tests appear to validate their concerns.
"I don’t want anyone to think that I’m yearning for a child that resembles me; that’s not my intent," stated one of the women, referred to as Kathryn. "I want to be transparent with them about their origins."
When the allegations of misleading practices by these two families were presented to Firdevs, she asserted that the selection of egg donors had been "made exclusively" by Miracle IVF Centre.
She further maintained that her clinic does not provide patients with donor profiles that describe a "specific person" and does not guarantee a donor's ethnicity.
According to Firdevs, this information was clearly articulated in the consent forms signed by all patients before treatment and had been communicated transparently throughout the process.
However, the families expressed that they believed they had selected a specific donor and were never made aware that the ultimate decision would be made by the clinic.
The BBC has reviewed egg donor profiles presented to Kathryn and another family by Miracle IVF Centre, which appear to feature individual women.
Kathryn conveyed that while her love for her child is unconditional, she would not have proceeded with the IVF treatment had she been fully informed that the donor she had chosen might not be utilized.
Firdevs responded that all treatments conducted at Miracle IVF adhered to legal requirements and that many of the inquiries posed could not be answered due to patient confidentiality.
'We're still a family'
"We are still a family, even if the bonds are not biological," asserts Kate.
It has been two years since Beth and Laura informed their children about the uncertainty surrounding Finn's status as their donor.
James continues to grapple with the implications of this discovery.
"You can’t just claim someone is part of your family and then reveal they are not. That’s wrong," he expresses. "Identity is fundamental; it defines who you are."
The children are now aware that they lack biological connections, but this knowledge has not diminished the affection they share for one another.
"We have grown together as a family, and our mothers have raised us," Kate affirms. "We remain a family, regardless of biological ties."
Beth and Laura conclude, "We are blessed with two wonderful children. Ultimately, we believe everything will be alright."
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