Donor conceived person

Finding out unexpectedly that you’re donor conceived is often a big shock. You may feel it’s shaken your world and you may have lots of questions. We get approached regularly by people in your situation, sometimes looking for information or wanting to be able to talk with others with a similar background.  We can help to signpost you to helpful resources or connect you with others in the same situation.

Do sign up to our Mailing List or you can email/WhatsApp message/phone the office if you prefer to make contact that way.

enquiries@dcnetwork.org

+44 (0) 20 7278 2608

Get in touch on WhatsApp 07503 567212 (but don’t call this number as we only use it for WhatsApp)

See section below: ‘Helpful links and further information’

The information here assumes you were conceived in a UK clinic.

The UK fertility industry regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), only came into being in 1991 and before that records of any treatments were held by the doctor or clinic. Many of these records have since been destroyed and, even if they exist, they are not automatically accessible by either donors, donor conceived people or parents.

Donors at this time were promised anonymity and donated on this assumption. After the law changed in the UK in 2005 any donors who donated before that time can re-register as ‘willing to be identifiable’ and some have done so.

See section below: ‘Helpful links and further information’

The UK fertility industry regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), was created in 1991 and from that point they held a record of all fertility treatments carried out by licensed clinics in the UK. This means your existence will be recorded on the HFEA register. Donors were still promised anonymity during this period and so you won’t be able to use this register to connect with your donor; however, you can request non-identifying information about your donor and basic information about any half siblings in other families (number, sex and year of birth). You can also register your interest in being in touch with them, which is arranged by mutual consent. Some anonymous donors have re-registered as identifiable so it’s possible your donor is willing to be known and it’s worth checking with the HFEA to see if this is the case.

See section below: ‘Helpful links and further information’

In 2005 the law changed in the UK, giving most people conceived from donations made after 1st April 2005 the right to access identifying information about their donor, through the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, once they are 18.

If you are eligible to apply for identifying information, you can find out your donor’s full name (including any previous names), their date and place of birth and their last known address. An unredacted copy of the goodwill message or a ‘pen portrait’ may also be available, which commonly covers why they chose to donate and information about their hobbies and interests.

However, we know not all donors provided this, particularly around the time of the law change, and where they did the message can vary a lot in length and quality. You can also receive identifying information about donor conceived siblings, with mutual consent.

See section below: ‘Helpful links and further information’

Unfortunately, the answer is no. Not all donor conceived people will be eligible to receive identifying information about their donor. There are several reasons for this, including a transitional period 2005-2007 during which clinics were able to use anonymous donations that they had previously collected, parents wanting a full genetic sibling for a child they already had, and patients being able to use embryos they had already created.

See section below: ‘Helpful links and further information’

If your parent or parents had treatment outside the UK that will have been under the legal framework of whatever country they were in. For example, in Spain all donation is anonymous, in the US it varies from state to state and clinic to clinic and in Sweden donors are ID release, as in the UK.

The rules relate to the country people had treatment in, and their rules apply regardless of what country you may have imported sperm, eggs or embryos from.

Depending on the country you were conceived in you will be able to access some or no additional information. A first step might be to contact the clinic and find out what they hold and are happy to share.

See section below: ‘Helpful links and further information’

You can find out more information about your rights and options through the HFEA website and the Donor Conceived Register that was created to support donors and donor conceived people from this pre-1991 period.

https://www.hfea.gov.uk/donation/finding-out-about-your-donor/

https://www.liverpoolwomens.nhs.uk/our-services/donor-conceived-register-dcr/

A new organisation called Donor Conceived UK was established in 2023 to offer support and community to all donor conceived adults and donors, whenever they donated or were conceived.

https://donorconceiveduk.org.uk/

DC Network also offers support and community. Do sign up to our Mailing List or you can email/WhatsApp message/phone the office if you prefer to make contact that way.

• enquiries@dcnetwork.org
• +44 (0) 20 7278 2608
• WhatsApp 07503 567212 (but don’t use this mobile number for phone calls)