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Investigation Launched After Northern Cyprus Sperm Donor Mix-Up

8/19/2026

Summary

Dogus IVF Deception

In northern Cyprus, clinics used donors other than those selected, affecting 30 British children.
Dogus IVF Centre, run by Dr Sevket Alpturk and Dr Firdevs Uguz Tip, sold a €4,000 package promising Cryos sperm.
Eleven DNA tests showed Turkish or southern-European ancestry, indicating the promised donors were not used.
Cyprus Ministry of Health opened an investigation after the BBC report, while Cryos, which blacklisted Dogus in 2016, says it never supplied sperm.

Summary

UK Office Warns

The UK Foreign Office revised its travel advice, warning that fertility treatment in northern Cyprus “carries risks” because of lax regulation.
Laura Bridgens, founder of Donor Conceived UK, called the case “deeply troubling” and said donor-conceived people deserve a right to know their origins.
The British Fertility Society described the scandal as a “systemic problem” beyond a single clinic and urged industry-wide safeguards.

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Dogus IVF Deception

In northern Cyprus, clinics used donors other than those selected, affecting 30 British children.
Dogus IVF Centre, run by Dr Sevket Alpturk and Dr Firdevs Uguz Tip, sold a €4,000 package promising Cryos sperm.
Eleven DNA tests showed Turkish or southern-European ancestry, indicating the promised donors were not used.
Cyprus Ministry of Health opened an investigation after the BBC report, while Cryos, which blacklisted Dogus in 2016, says it never supplied sperm.

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