It takes two to tango: information-sharing with offspring among heterosexual parents following identity-release sperm donation

Abstract

STUDY QUESTIONHow do heterosexual parents reason about and experience information-sharing with offspring following identity-release sperm donation?SUMMARY ANSWERSharing information about using donor-conception with offspring is a complex process at several levels, with the parent's personal beliefs and the child's responses serving as driving or impeding forces for the information-sharing process.WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADYThe overall view of disclosure in gamete donation has shifted from secrecy to openness, but there is still uncertainty among parents concerning how and when to tell the child about his/her genetic origin. Most research on donor-conceived families has focused on donation treatment under anonymous or known circumstances, and there is a lack of studies in settings with identity-release donations.STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATIONA qualitative interview study among 30 parents following identity-release sperm donation treatment. Interviews were conducted from February 2014 to March 2015.PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODSThe present study is part of the prospective longitudinal Swedish Study on Gamete Donation (SSGD), including all fertility clinics performing gamete donation in Sweden. A sample of participants in the SSGD, consisting of heterosexual parents with children aged 7–8 years following identity-release sperm donation, participated in individual semi-structured interviews.MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCEThe analysis revealed one main theme: information-sharing is a process, with three subthemes; (i) the parent as process manager, (ii) the child as force or friction and (iii) being in the process. The first two subthemes were viewed as being linked together and their content served as driving or impeding forces in the information-sharing process.LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTIONThe fact that the study was performed within the context of the Swedish legislation on identity-release donation must be taken into consideration as regards transferability to other populations, as this may affect parents' reasoning concerning their information-sharing with the child.WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGSThe present findings highlight the role of the donor-conceived child in the information-sharing process and may contribute to develop counselling that increases parents' confidence in handling children's reactions to information about their genetic origin.STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)Financial support from The Swedish Research Council, The Family Planning Fund in Uppsala and Ferring Pharmaceuticals. There are no conflicts of interest to declare.TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBERN/A.

Cross‐border surrogacy: Experiences of heterosexual and gay parents in Sweden

“…8 These results are also consistent with previous studies from Sweden indicating that couples who have received donated sperm or oocytes believe that the child has a right to know about their genetic origin and mode of conception. 22,23 Levels of parenting stress in this group of parents were in line with or lower than levels previously reported for heterosexual and lesbian couples with young children following sperm donation, standard in vitro fertilization, or a spontaneous pregnancy. 16 Due to the significant costs involved in cross-border surrogacy couples pursuing this path to parenthood can be assumed to belong to an economically privileged group.…”

“…However, parents following surrogacy have been found to be less open about the use of donor gametes 7 or about which of the fathers contributed his sperm, which supports the notion that there are layers of disclosure among donorconceiving families 8. These results are also consistent with previous studies from Sweden indicating that couples who have received donated sperm or oocytes believe that the child has a right to know about their genetic origin and mode of conception 22,23. …”

Counsellors’ practices in donor sperm treatment

“…Over the last two decades, studies have been conducted on parents' (non)-disclosure to their donor-offspring, which reveal that keeping DST a secret creates pressure and strain in their families; that parents do not regret telling their children about their genetic origins. Compared to non-disclosing families, mothers who have disclosed donor conception have less frequent and less severe arguments with their children; disclosure at a young age gives more positive family relationships and that there is more positive family functioning when parents share donorconception with their child (Daniels et al, 2009;Daniels, Grace, & Gillett, 2011;Daniels, Lewis, & Gillett, 1995;Isaksson, Skoog-Svanberg, Sydsj€ o, Linell, & Lampic, 2016;Landau, 1998;Leiblum & Aviv, 1997;Lycett, Daniels, Curson, & Golombok, 2004;Paul & Berger, 2007;Rumball & Adair, 1999;Scheib et al, 2003).…”

The attitudes of IVF patients treated in the Czech Republic towards informing children born after gamete donation

“…A large group of parents believe that the psychological and social aspects of parenting are far more important to a child than genetics, as proven by some well-known psychologists about psychological deprivation Bowlby 20,21 , Matejcek 22,23 . As observed in some studies 17,19,24 recipient-parents believed their decision -disclose or not disclose -to be in the best interest of the child.…”