Alert as fertility clinic admits it used damaged donor sperm

A leading London fertility clinic is at the centre of a health scare after using damaged sperm that increased the risk of a miscarriage.

Dozens of embryos were created at the London Women's Clinic in Harley Street using sperm found to carry a genetic abnormality. The defect also increases the risk that a child will have a serious health problem.

Under fertility guidelines, donor sperm must be screened before use. But the IVF centre failed to check some thoroughly and at least one woman has claimed she miscarried as a result.

Leading fertility specialist Dr Kamal Ahuja, the clinic head, today said that after discovering the sperm had been wrongly accepted, he reported the "oversight" to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. He added: "This is a case from two years ago the story is dated and hugely untrue." He said there was "absolutely no medical basis" for suggesting the incident could have led to a miscarriage.

He said: "No unhealthy baby has been born. This condition is fairly common in the population. One in 400 people is affected by it."