Majority of donor-conceived teens want donor information access, regardless of family or donation type.
Factors associated with donor-conceived adolescents' intention to request information about their open-identity oocyte or sperm donor (Groundstroem, 2024)
Groundstroem, H., Paulin, J., Sydsjö, G., & Lampic, C. (2024). Factors associated with donor-conceived adolescents' intention to request information about their open-identity oocyte or sperm donor [Abstract P-783]. Human Reproduction, 39(Supplement_1), i560. https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/deae108.1097
Geographic Region: Sweden
Research Question: Is adolescents' intention to request information about their open-identity donor associated with donor type, family form, or adolescent gender?
Research Methods: Part of a prospective longitudinal study (Swedish Study on Gamete Donation (SSGD)). Postal/web-survey of donor-conceived adolescents (ages 13-16) whose parents participated in previous waves of the study. Data collected in 2022-2023.
Sample: 98 adolescents (77% response rate): 48 conceived by sperm donation to lesbian couples, 27 by sperm donation to heterosexual couples, and 23 by oocyte donation to heterosexual couples. 48 girls and 50 boys with mean ages of 14.44 and 14.28, respectively.
Analysis Methods: Multinomial regression analysis
Key Findings:
56% of adolescents intended to request donor information, 12% did not intend to, 32% were unsure
Girls were significantly more likely than boys to state they did not intend to request donor information.
No significant differences in intentions based on family type or donation type
Of those planning to request information, 30% of boys and 15% of girls intended to contact the donor
29% were interested in contacting donor siblings, 27% were not interested, 44% were unsure
Limitations: Small sample size limiting statistical power. Possible attrition bias with less well-functioning families not participating.
Applications: Highlights that many donor-conceived adolescents want the option to access donor information. Gender differences suggest the need to understand the motivations of different groups.
Regulatory Context:
Sweden was one of the first countries to implement identity-release donation, passing legislation in 1984 that went into effect in 1985.
Only altruistic gamete donation is allowed. Donors can receive compensation for expenses and inconvenience, but not payment for the gametes themselves.
Both sperm and egg donation are permitted. Embryo donation became legal in 2019.
Same-sex female couples have had access to donor insemination since 2005 and IVF since 2016. Single women gained access in 2016.
Donation is only allowed at authorized fertility clinics. Private arrangements are not legal.
All prospective donors and recipients must undergo counseling and medical/psychological screening.
Donors must be 18 years or older.
Anonymous donation is prohibited. All donors must agree to be identifiable to offspring.
Donor-conceived individuals have the legal right to obtain identifying information about their donor when they reach "sufficient maturity," typically interpreted as age 18, though no specific age is mandated by law.
Parents are encouraged, but not legally required, to tell children about their donor conception. However, the information is recorded in medical records that the child can access as an adult.
There are restrictions on how many children/families can be created from one donor's gametes, but the exact number can vary between clinics.
A central register of all donor treatments is maintained by the National Board of Health and Welfare.
Donors do not have any legal or financial obligations to offspring. They are not considered the legal parents.
Funding Source: Not provided
Lead Author: Henrik Groundstroem is a licensed psychologist and PhD student within clinical psychology at Umeå University in Sweden. His research focuses on long-term psychosocial consequences of gamete donation.