Name: Sperm Bank spread donors cancer-linked genes across Europe
Uploaded: 2025-12-10T09:29:51.884Z
Duration: 4 min 34 s
Description: Donor 7069 was found to carry a rare mutation that is linked to childhood cancer. More than 197 children were conceived with his sperm, an investigation by DW and 13 partners reveals. Yet some parents were never warned.

Donor 7069 was found to carry a rare mutation that is linked to childhood cancer. More than 197 children were conceived with his sperm, an investigation by DW and 13 partners reveals. Yet some parents were never warned.

Paris

A sperm donor from Denmark, identified as donor 7069, unknowingly carried a rare TP53 gene mutation that significantly increases the risk of childhood cancer. His sperm was distributed by the European Sperm Bank to clinics in 13 countries over more than 15 years, resulting in at least 197 children being conceived with his genetic material. 

After the mutation was discovered in 2023, the sperm bank blocked the donor and was required to notify clinics and parents, but some families reported significant delays or lack of notification. Experts and affected families have called for stronger international regulations, including a global donor registry and limits on the number of children per donor, to prevent similar cases in the future.

Sperm Bank spread donor's cancer-linked genes across Europe

We are in Paris. A mother who conceived a child through artificial insemination has agreed to talk to us. Her daughter inherited a rare cancer mutation from the sperm donor. I feel enormous guilt. To know that because you chose to conceive that way, you passed on something that is potentially a threat to her life is very, very hard. Her Belgian fertility clinic used sperm imported from Denmark, sold by the globally operating European Sperm Bank. The sperm bank listed the donor under the number 7069 or Kjeld and offered his sperm for more than 15 years. In 2023, however, a genetic test showed that he carried the life-threatening TP53 mutation. It dramatically increases the risk of childhood cancer. Donor 7069 was permanently blocked. At this stage, the sperm bank was obliged to alert every fertility clinic that had received the donor sperm. Then the clinic had to inform parents immediately, because children needed to be tested to see if they had inherited the rare mutation. It's very important that children get the right check-ups and that parents are informed about which cancer risks exist and how they should respond. We have programs that can be truly life-saving. In Celine's case, the clinic only informed her more than one and a half years after the donor was blocked and blamed a computer problem for taking so long. Tests confirmed that her teenage daughter was a carrier. It was a shock. It's just not possible that there could be such a level of amateurism, incompetence and recklessness in an area as important as reproduction. It's incomprehensible to me. When confronted, the clinic answered that it had informed Celine as soon as possible. Daughter Kellermann, a mother who lives in Denmark, says she was never officially notified by her clinic. For years, she has been connected via Facebook with other parents whose children were conceived with sperm from donor 7069. I was informed from another mother with the same donor to her children. I was not informed by the sperm bank nor the clinic. Never? Never. According to Danish health authorities, Kjeld's sperm was exported from Denmark to thirteen other countries, all with their own limits and regulations. Despite several requests, the European Sperm Bank, a major player in the fertility sector, refused to provide the exact number of Kjeld's offspring, citing privacy concerns. But DW and its partners collected documents from health authorities, talked to doctors, patients and clinics across Europe, and found that at least 197 children were conceived with Kjeld's sperm. Experts that counsel affected families assume that not everyone has been alerted yet. It feels very risky and completely wrong that one donor can have so many children. It is far beyond what's biologically normal and that has huge consequences. We have some children that have developed already two different cancers and some of them have already died. The European Sperm Bank declined an interview but wrote they had tested the donor in full compliance with recognized and scientific practice and legislation and notified authorities and clinics in accordance with the law. Doctors, support groups and sperm banks are now calling for an international donor registry and a global cap on the number of children one donor can father. They warn, without stronger rules and clearer responsibilities, cases like that of donor 7069 could happen again and again. For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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