Telling about donor assisted conception report

This report from the Infertility Treatment Authority| Victoria| presents results of interviews conducted with donor-conceived adults| parents who are recipients of donated sperm or eggs| an egg donor| and infertility counsellors; 34 people in all. Discussion focused on telling donor-conceived people about their conception and resources that would assist parents and donor-conceived people to manage the information. Although it was generally accepted that concealment was no longer desirable and that children should be told as early as possible| parents often still found telling very difficult and would value specific guidance on how to tell| including detailed accounts from parents who had told their children| meetings with donor-conceived people and other parents|and a range of printed and electronic resources for children of all ages.

Resources are needed for donor-conceived children or adolescents who have always known about their conception and those who have only recently been told| and should cater for a variety of family types.Counselling and resources must also recognise the diverse individual responses to donor-assisted conception. Donor-conceived adults may need help in identifying their donors and opportunities to meet other donor-conceived people. Although not everybody felt in need of counselling| the service should take account of ‘telling’ as a process and not an event| and thus be available long after donor-assisted.