High-Risk Sperm Donor Fathers Nearly 200 Children Across Europe with Cancer Gene
High-Risk Sperm Donor Fathers Nearly 200 Children Across Europe with Cancer Gene
A single man, unknowingly carrying a rare genetic mutation linked to a high risk of cancer, has fathered at least 197 children across 14 European countries through sperm donation since 2005. This man donated sperm while a student, and his samples were distributed by the European Sperm Bank (ESB), a private Danish company. The mutated gene, linked to Li-Fraumeni syndrome, greatly increases cancer risk, with 73% of affected men and 90% of affected women likely to develop cancer in their lifetimes. Despite the sperm being withdrawn from the market in October 2023 and warnings issued in November, some families remain uninformed. The case raises serious concerns about the regulation of sperm donation, especially as Belgium alone recorded 53 children born from this donor’s sperm despite national limits on donor usage. Belgian health authorities have called for a European database and international limits on the use of sperm from individual donors. The ESB has expressed deep sympathy for the affected families and the donor.