Almost 200 children conceived using sperm from donor with hidden cancer risk

Copenhagen: A Danish sperm donor, who is an asymptomatic carrier of a genetic mutation that increases the risk of cancer, has fathered nearly 200 children worldwide, Denmark’s public broadcaster DR revealed on Wednesday.

According to DR, “At least 197 children were born thanks to the sperm of an anonymous Danish donor using the alias Kjeld before the sperm bank discovered a serious genetic abnormality.”

Between 2006 and 2022, the donor’s sperm was distributed to 67 clinics across 14 countries. In Denmark alone, 99 children were fathered by the donor.

When was the mutation discovered?

The European Sperm Bank, one of the largest in the world, was first alerted in April 2020 after a child conceived via the donor was diagnosed with cancer and carried a genetic mutation. The bank subsequently tested a sample of the donor’s sperm, but the screening did not detect the rare TP53 mutation. Sales of the sperm, which had been temporarily suspended during testing, then resumed.

Three years later, the sperm bank was informed that at least one other child conceived from the donor had developed cancer. It then tested several samples, confirming that the donor carried the gene, although he remained healthy. The bank blocked the use of his sperm in late October 2023.

What is the nature of the genetic mutation?

“The specific mutation is a rare and previously undescribed TP53 mutation that is only found in a small part of the donor’s sperm cells and not in the rest of the body, as the donor himself is not affected,” the sperm bank said in a statement. The company also clarified that the mutation could not be detected by prior genetic screening, and not all children conceived from the donor carry the mutation.

Are there limits on the number of children per donor?

While many European countries have regulations limiting the number of children per donor, there are no international rules governing how many children a donor can father across borders. At the end of 2022, the European Sperm Bank set a maximum of 75 families per donor.

The European Sperm Bank has been involved in the births of more than 70,000 children worldwide over the past two decades.

AFP inputs