Iranian study shows similar parenting styles in embryo donation and natural conception families
The Impact of Embryo Donation Technology on Child Psychological Adjustment and Parenting Styles: A Historical Cohort Study (Kaveh, 2025)
Kaveh, M., Hosseini, S. H., Sharif-Nia, H., & Peivandi, S. (2025). The impact of embryo donation technology on child psychological adjustment and parenting styles: A historical cohort study. International Journal of Fertility and Sterility, 19(1), 96-103. doi: 10.22074/ijfs.2024.2016523.1581
Geographic Region: Iran
Research Question: How do the psychological adjustment of children and parenting styles in families with donor-conceived children compare to those of naturally conceived children?
Design: Historical cohort study. Mothers completed Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) for psychological assessment of children. Conducted Baumrind Parenting Styles Inventory through clinical interviews. Data collected via telephone interviews due to COVID-19 restrictions. Statistical analysis using chi-square test, independent t-test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient.
Sample: 31 children aged 3-7 years born via embryo donation to heterosexual couples. Age-matched with 30 children from naturally conceived families. All children lived with both parents. Mothers provided all data. The study used a convenience sampling method.
Key Findings:
There were no statistically significant differences in psychological adjustment between donor-conceived and naturally conceived children. Children conceived through embryo donation were doing just as well psychologically as children conceived naturally. While slightly more embryo donation children showed some adjustment challenges (8 out of 31) compared to naturally conceived children (3 out of 30), this difference wasn't statistically meaningful.
There were no significant differences in parenting styles between the two groups. Whether parents had used embryo donation or conceived naturally didn't affect how they parented their children.
None of the 18 embryo donation families had told their children about how they were conceived. Only 5 families planned to tell their children in the future, 10 planned never to tell, and 3 hadn't decided yet.
Parents who used a more controlling (authoritarian) style had children with more adjustment challenges, while parents who used a more balanced, supportive (authoritative) style had children with fewer adjustment challenges. This was true for both groups.
Limitations: The study was limited by relying only on what mothers reported rather than observing families directly. The study only looked at young children (ages 3-7), so we don't know about longer-term impacts. The sample size is small.
Applications: The findings suggest that parenting style has a larger impact on child wellbeing than genetic connection to parents.
Funding Source: Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences
Lead Author: Mahya Kaveh is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Golestan University of Medical Sciences in Gorgan, Iran. Her research primarily focuses on mental health interventions and innovative diagnostic tools.
Regulatory Context:
In Iran, the legal framework for donor conception is primarily shaped by Islamic jurisprudence and national legislation.
The "Act concerning Embryo Donation to Infertile Couples," enacted in 2003, permits embryos resulting from the fertilization of a husband's sperm and his wife's egg can be donated to infertile couples, provided that both the donor and recipient couples are legally married.
The absence of explicit legal provisions means that the permissibility of gamete donation largely depends on religious rulings, or fatwas, issued by Shiite clerics. Opinions among clerics vary: some permit gamete donation, while others consider it impermissible.
Fertility centers are mandated to keep the identities of both donors and recipients confidential, treating this information with the same level of secrecy as state secrets. There is a prevailing tendency among Iranian couples to keep the use of donor-assisted reproductive technologies private, often not informing the child or extended family members about the donor conception.