Sperm from donor with cancer-causing gene was used to conceive almost 200 children
1 hour ago Share Save James Gallagher Health and science correspondent Share Save
Shutterstock The donor's sperm was used in clinics across Europe (stock image)
A sperm donor who unknowingly harboured a genetic mutation that dramatically raises the risk of cancer has fathered at least 197 children across Europe, a major investigation has revealed. Some children have already died and only a minority who inherit the mutation will escape cancer in their lifetimes. The sperm was not sold to UK clinics, but the BBC can confirm a "very small" number of British families, who have been informed, used the donor's sperm while having fertility treatment in Denmark. Denmark's European Sperm Bank, which sold the sperm, said families affected had their "deepest sympathy" and admitted the sperm was used to make too many babies in some countries.
Getty Images Up to 20% of the donor's sperm contains the dangerous mutation that increases the risk of cancer (stock image)
The investigation has been conducted by 14 public service broadcasters, including the BBC, as part of the European Broadcasting Union's Investigative Journalism Ne
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