How Soon Should I Tell My Offspring That He Or She Was Donor Conceived?
A study conducted on the Donor Sibling Registry (DSR) proved to be quite revealing about peoples feelings about being donor conceived.
The DSR allows people who have been donor conceived to search for their donor siblings. Other siblings that have come from the same batch of donor eggs, this is effectively their ½ siblings.
The research was conducted in contact with people who were donor conceived and their findings. The participants were aged between thirteen years of age up to adulthood. The survey was conducted to see if there was a difference in the reaction between people who were told about their conception at various ages. And the study revealed that there was a difference. The study also concentrated on how each individual felt about their egg donation birth, and the time of being told of their method of conception
Egg donation has opened many doors to people who would not have had a child in the normal course of things. The reactions from the various respondents were many and varied, however what did emerge was that the younger the respondents were, when they were informed of their conception, the easier it was for them to accept it.
The study was conducted online through questionnaires. All participants were anonymous; the sampling was divided into the parents of the donor offspring, the donors who offered their eggs and the offspring of donor eggs.
The conclusions drawn from this study, showed that there was a more positive response from those who were informed at an early age, compared to those who found out at a later stage, there was an good element of curiosity from participants, and for some who found out at a later start, some anger and confusion. But overall it was found that curiosity was the biggest emotion. And that many of respondents wanted to know about their origins which led many of them to seek their donor ½ siblings.
If you wish to know more about this study you can read it at the following link