Are sperm donor children interested in their biological father and half-siblings? How does the knowledge of their unusual conception affect them?

An article published in the latest issue of the journal Reproductive BioMedicine Online, gives a few clues. It documents the results of a study conducted by Donor Sibling Registration (DSR), a US-based worldwide registry set up for exploring donor relations.

The 165 members participated  in the online survey. All participants were conceived by donor insemination, not IVF: 58% had heterosexual parents, 23% came from a single mother family, and 15% from lesbian families. All offspring from lesbian and single mother families as well as 67% from offspring of heterosexual families had found out about their conception before age 18, and all offspring who found out about their conception after age 18 were from heterosexual families.

Recent years have seen a burgeoning interest among children conceived by donor insemination in finding and contacting their donor and donor sibling relatives. Many express frustration at the lack of information about their donor which has led to the removal of sperm-donor anonymity in many countries.

According to the study, most donor children seeking to find their donor parents and donor siblings did so out of curiosity. But they also wanted to know more about their personal and genetic identity. The majority of those who were informed about their conception after age 18 were doing so for medical reasons, whereas those who found out before this age tended to do so out of curiosity.

A very high proportion of the children who took part in the survey felt as though something was missing from their sense of identity.

Interestingly, it is mainly the parents who are asking. Many of the members on DSR are parents of donor-insemination children.

Due to the need to explain the absence of a father, lesbian and single mother families were found to be more open about the donor conception of their child than heterosexual couples.

Many of the participants expressed concerns about inadvertently starting an incestuous relationship with a donor-sibling (i.e. a donor half-brother or half-sister). This might sound improbable, but the authors say, “…some sibling groups are concentrated in specific areas, and therefore unknowingly meeting a donor sibling is a genuine possibility.” ~ Reproductive BioMedicine Online, April