Make our wellbeing a priority: donor-conceived adults call for ongoing support and conversation about their donor conception

Abstract

The experiences of donor-conceived adults have received relatively little research attention despite the increasing trend of gamete conception. In this qualitative study, ten donor-conceived adults: eight women and two men, were interviewed to explore their experience of being donor-conceived. The participants did not automatically have the right to access identifying information of their donors upon turning eighteen as they were born prior to the introduction of the 2004 Human Assisted Reproductive Technology (HART) Act in New Zealand. The overarching theme identified was a need for parents, donors, and the fertility industry to prioritise their longer-term wellbeing. To this effect, participants wanted recognition of the importance of their donor conception history for their identity, and called for early disclosure to be reinforced through open, ongoing conversations with their parents. They highlighted the need for support to process the implications of donor conception, and to search for and link with their donors. Study findings underscore the value of legislation and practices which enable disclosure in the context of ongoing openness and provide access to support for donor-conceived individuals.

Keywords:

• Donor conception
• wellbeing
• experience
• disclosure
• support

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the participants who were interviewed for this study and the support of the consumer organisation FertilityNZ in advertising this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).