BACKGROUND The present study explored the process of disclosure in gamete donation families in the UK. METHODS Interviews were conducted with 23 mothers and 15 fathers who had told their 7-year-old child about the nature of their conception. Twelve children were interviewed about what they understood and how they felt about their donor conception (DC). RESULTS The majority of families had d...

A common strategy used to dismiss arguments against donor conception is that there is no proof donor-conceived persons are harmed in any important way. Their claims of harm are dismissed as anecdotal and "not scientific," and studies carried out on young donor-conceived children, who declare themselves perfectly happy with their parents and families are tendered as evidence that no harm is caus...

BACKGROUND Those considering donating or receiving gametes are required to undergo counselling to ensure that they are aware of and consider the psychosocial, emotional and ethical complexities of donor conception before proceeding. AIMS The aim of this study was to evaluate gamete donors' and recipients' views about donor counselling and beliefs about disclosure of the use of donor gametes t...

This article investigates the relationship between grandparents and lesbian daughters in the context of childbirth, looking specifically at the role that pregnancy plays in shaping kinship affinities. Gender, sex, and heterosexuality are fundamental to Euro-American kinship discourse and practice; lesbian couples' parenthood through donor conception represents a significant departure from preva...

This study investigates a new phenomenon whereby individuals conceived by donor insemination are searching for and contacting their donor and/or 'donor siblings' (i.e. donor offspring conceived by the same donor who are their genetic half siblings). On-line questionnaires were completed by members of the Donor Sibling Registry (DSR), a US-based registry that facilitates contact between donor co...

OBJECTIVE To study the decision to have a child alone, the experience of gamete donation, the issue of disclosure of the donor link to the child, conception-related health and sociodemographic characteristics of the mothers, children's socioemotional development, and mother-child relationships. DESIGN Qualitative study. SETTING Prior clients of a sperm bank. PARTICIPANT(S) Eleven single w...

BACKGROUND This study investigates the new phenomenon of parents of donor offspring searching for and contacting their child's 'donor siblings' (i.e. donor offspring conceived by the same donor) and donor. METHODS Online questionnaires were completed by 791 parents (39% lone-mother, 35% lesbian-couple, 21% heterosexual-couple, 5% non-specified) recruited via the Donor Sibling Registry; a US-b...

In recent years, concerns have been raised regarding the potentially negative consequences of gamete donation for parent-child relationships. Findings are presented of a study of families with an infant conceived by gamete donation. Fifty donor insemination families and 51 egg donation families were compared with 80 natural conception families on standardized interview and questionnaire measure...

INTRODUCTION For many donor-conceiving heterosexual parents, the process of deciding whether and what to tell children about their genetic origin is challenging. We hypothesized that incomplete couple agreement about disclosure could be associated with parenting stress. The aim of the study was to investigate: (1) parenting stress levels among heterosexual parents of young children following ga...

OBJECTIVE To study the processes by which donor-conceived children incorporate donor conception into their subjective sense of identity. DESIGN Cross-sectional. SETTING Family homes. PATIENT(S) Nineteen donor-conceived adolescents. INTERVENTION(S) Administration of an interview and questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) The mother-child relationship was assessed through the Friends an...