DC Journal Club - October Roundup
A huge THANKS to the over 60 folks who have joined me so far on this journey of exploring research related to donor conception! I am delighted to geek out over this stuff with all y’all! If you have particular questions or curiosities, let me know. I’m happy to try to help you find research.
This month, I summarized several studies that dive deep into the experiences of donor-conceived people. One looked at adolescents' intention to request donor information. Another considered the experiences of donor-conceived adults in searching for donor connections. A third examined how the adult children of lesbian parents feel about donor conception. As a bonus, check out this comic strip version of the findings from a study of donors who have been contacted by people conceived from their donations.
Inspired by the recent Forbes article (paywall, boo!) on egg donation and social media, I shared a study on ethical considerations for donor recruitment and one on the differences between directed (known) and non-directed egg donor experiences. Another study explored donors’ readiness for the disclosure of their identity to donor offspring. To round out donor-focused studies, I shared a study that examined how online sperm donation communities navigate "morally challenging" behaviors. Valerie Bauman’s memoir Inconceivable and Diane Tober’s just-published book Eggonomics provide more insight if the behind-the-scenes of gamete donation piques your interest.
October’s collection also includes two narrative reviews: one comparing psychological outcomes of donor-conceived and non-donor-conceived individuals and another exploring disclosure trends and factors in the last ten years.
In response to questions and curiosities from the community, I’ve compiled two additional resources.
Using books to talk to kids about donor conception
Ensuring kids’ access to information in worst-case scenarios
Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe