To tell or not to tell - what parents think about telling their children that they were born following donor insemination

Lindblad, Frank; Gottlieb, Claes; Lalos, Othon

doi:10.3109/01674820009085588

Cited by 72 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Almost all couples answered that they had not yet decided if they would tell their offspring about the mode of conception. Previous studies have shown that a majority of parents do not inform their children about the use of donor sperm, even when sperm from an identifiable donor has been used (11)(12)(13).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Swedish sperm donors are driven by altruism, but shortage of sperm donors leads to reproductive travelling

Ekerhovd

Faurskov²,

Werner³

2008

Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences

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Background: Swedish legislation requires that sperm donors are identifiable to offspring. In Denmark sperm donors remain anonymous. The aim of this study was to examine sperm donation in Sweden by identifying socio-demographic backgrounds, motivations and attitudes among donors and to describe options and plans of sperm recipients. Furthermore, the willingness of Swedish health care providers to assist in treatment abroad, where sperm from an anonymous donor were to be used, was assessed. The extent of travelling to Denmark for reproductive purposes was also examined. Methods: Thirty Swedish sperm donors completed a questionnaire and were interviewed about their backgrounds, motivations and attitudes. Thirty couples where the infertility workup had shown azoospermia were interviewed about their options for achieving parenthood. The willingness to assist in fertility treatment abroad and the extent of reproductive cross border travelling were assessed by interviewing health care providers and by contacting Danish clinics. Results: Almost all donors were Caucasian. The main motivation for sperm donors was to help others. Owing to shortage of sperm donors many Caucasian recipients intended to have treatment abroad. For most non-Caucasian recipients sperm from a donor of appropriate ethnicity were not available in Sweden. Whether the sperm donor was anonymous or identifiable was not of major importance to most sperm recipients. Health care providers expressed unanimous willingness to assist in treatment with sperm from an anonymous donor. Our inquiry indicated that more than 250 Swedish sperm recipients travel to Denmark annually. Conclusions: Identifiable sperm donors are driven by altruistic motives, but shortage of sperm donors leads to reproductive travelling. Recruitment strategies to increase the number of sperm donors in Sweden are therefore warranted.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Swedish sperm donors are driven by altruism, but shortage of sperm donors leads to reproductive travelling

Ekerhovd

Faurskov²,

Werner³

2008

Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences

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“…Participation in gamete donation entails ethical as well as practical considerations; for instance, questions regarding disclosure of the donation to family members and donation offspring [3,4]. Therefore, clinic personnel constitute important informants and discussants concerning different aspects of oocyte and sperm donation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attitudes towards gamete donation among IVF doctors in the Nordic countries—are they in line with national legislation?

Lampic

Svanberg

Sydsjö

2009

J Assist Reprod Genet

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Purpose To compare attitudes towards gamete donation between IVF doctors in the Nordic countries, and to determine whether attitudes are in correspondence with national legislation. Materials and methods A study-specific questionnaire was used to study attitudes of 108 IVF doctors (92% response). Participants constituted 78% of all IVF doctors in Sweden, Denmark and Norway and 15% of IVF doctors in Finland. Results Despite similar legislation regarding offspring right to learn his/her donor's identity, IVF doctors from Norway reported significantly more negative attitudes towards disclosure than did Swedish physicians. A majority from all countries demonstrated positive attitudes towards embryo donation and allowing sperm donation for lesbian couples. Physicians reported strong support for anonymous donation but less support for 'known' donation. Conclusion There are discrepancies between IVF doctors' attitudes towards gamete donation and national legislation in four Nordic countries. Negative attitudes towards disclosure to offspring may counteract legislative intentions.

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“…Cook et al, 1995;Nachtigall et al, 1998;Lindblad et al, 2000) suggest that the main reason parents decide against openness is to protect the child from either the distress of discovering their father is not genetically related to them or of not being able to access genetic information about the donor. Secondly, parents wish to protect the father either from the child's potential rejection or from the social stigma associated with male infertility.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

School-aged children of donor insemination: a study of parents' disclosure patterns

Lycett¹,

Daniels²,

Curson³

et al. 2005

Human Reproduction

118

104

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BACKGROUND: A major concern in relation to donor insemination (DI) is whether children should be told about their genetic origins. This study compared the thoughts, feelings and experiences of DI parents who were inclined towards openness with those who were inclined towards non-disclosure. METHODS: Forty-six families with a 4-to 8-year-old DI-conceived child were interviewed about their decision, their reasons and subsequent concerns regarding disclosure. RESULTS: Thirty-nine percent of parents were inclined towards disclosure whilst the remaining 61% were not. The two main reasons for favouring disclosure were to avoid accidental discovery and a desire for openness. Non-disclosing parents felt that there was no reason to tell and wished to protect family members. The children who had been told reacted with either curiosity or disinterest. CONCLUSIONS: In spite of donor anonymity, parents who were intending to tell their child in the future had optimistic expectations of their child's reaction. Parents who had already told their child generally described the telling experience as a positive one.

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To tell or not to tell - what parents think about telling their children that they were born following donor insemination

Cited by 72 publications

References 17 publications

Swedish sperm donors are driven by altruism, but shortage of sperm donors leads to reproductive travelling

Swedish sperm donors are driven by altruism, but shortage of sperm donors leads to reproductive travelling

Attitudes towards gamete donation among IVF doctors in the Nordic countries—are they in line with national legislation?

School-aged children of donor insemination: a study of parents' disclosure patterns

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