The donor’s future role in the child’s life
MCK Fertility Centre
Views of candidate parents
& donors
A. Brewaeys, M. Brewaeys
E. de [email protected]
Questions under investigation
MCK Fertility Centre
1. Parents’ and donors’ desire for non identifying information
2. Parents’ intention to inform child
3. Parents’ and donors’ views on: The child’s right to know its donor origin Chance child wants to meet donor Acceptance of future meeting between child and
donor Donor’s future role in child’s life
Materials and Methods
MCK Fertility Centre
Self developed questionnaire (response rate: 96%)
Population Donors 47
Heterosexual couples 77 Lesbian couples 105 Single women 80
Demographic characteristics candidate parents
MCK Fertility Centre
Age in years Educationmean (SD) % with at
least college level ______________________________________________________
He couples 32 (4.8) 54%
Le couples 33 (3.8) 63%
Single women 37 (2.4) 68% ____________________________________________
Donor characteristics
MCK Fertility Centre
Age in years 37 (SD: 7.3)
Education (%) 73 (with at least college level)
Sexual orientation (%) heterosexual: 93
Marital status (%) single: 54
Children (%) no: 73
Child wish (%) no: 42 yes: 34 yes later: 24
Motivations to donate (%)
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Helping infertile people 95
Creating offspring 61
Some kind of fatherhood 24
Validate own fertility 12
Financial reimbursement 5
What do candidate parents want to know about the donor (%)
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No information 8_________________________________
Personality characteristics 28Life circumstances 21Physical characteristics 16
Number of children born 10Professional activity 9Motivation donor 8
What do donors want to know about candidate parents (%)
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No information 10________________________________
Number of children born 88
Life circumstances (family type) 21
Personality / Physical characteristics 5
Parents´ attitudes towards telling (%)
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Intention to tell?Yes Don´t know /
later___________________________________________He couples 88 12
Le couples 92 8
Single women 93 7
___________________________________________
How difficult is telling? (%)
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not difficult rather difficult difficult
______________________________________________He couples 19 78 3
Le couples 60 40 -
Single women 42 56 2______________________________________________
Most frequently expected difficulties are
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At what age do I tell what kind of story?
When is the child ready to understand?
Would telling harm the child?
Would telling change the relationship between the non-genetic parent and the child?
Child´s right to know donor´s identity(%)
MCK Fertility Centre
Agree Partly agree Disagree _____________________________________________He couples 54 41 5
Le couples 81 19 -
Single women 79 21 - _____________________________________________
Donors 100 - -_____________________________________________
Chance (informed) child wants to meet donor (%)
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<50% >50% Don’t know_______________________________________________He couples 19 51 30
Le couples 11 75 14
Single women 5 71 24_______________________________________________
Donors 20 48 32_______________________________________________
Views on future meeting donor-child
MCK Fertility Centre
What would you think about a future meeting between your child and the donor ? (%)
rather not would not mind would want to ___________________________________________________________
He couples 18 74 8
Le couples 3 89 8
Single women 2 70 28______________________________________________
Donors - 66 34____________________________________________________________________________
Views on donor’s future role in child’s lifecandidate parents (%)
MCK Fertility Centre
“what do you expect about the donor’s role in the child’s life?”
He Les Single _________________________________________________________
None 49 35 14
Provider of information of certain characteristics 38 54 50
Person with whom child builds up a relationship 4 5 20
Don’t know / depends on child 8 6 16___________________________________________________________
Views on donor’s future role in child’s lifedonors (%)
MCK Fertility Centre
“What do you expect about your role in the child’s life?”
None 15
Provider of information of certain characteristics 51
Person with whom child builds up a relationship 34
Summary
Results show a great diversity of opinions and feelings Between groups Within groups
An overlook on data along following lines:
The answers to our main study questions Interesting differences between groups Clinical implications
Medisch Centrum Kinderwens
Most striking findings: parents’ & donors’ desire for information
Majority of the parents would have liked some donor information He couples the least Most requested:
personality characteristics (intelligence)
Donors less interested They mainly want know the number of children born
out of their donation.
MCK Fertility Centre
Clinical implications
Should fertility clinics reconsider their policy ?
What about giving candidate parents the opportunity to receive donor information?
What about giving them the opportunity to make their own donor choice?
Medisch Centrum Kinderwens
Most striking findingstelling child
MCK Fertility Centre
Majority intends to inform child
A respectable number finds it “rather difficult” to tell
Difficulties: Which story at what age ? Impact on family relationships and welfare child?
Clinical implications Need to develop written materials and counseling
programs that provide tools and help for DI parents in their proces of telling
Most striking findingsfuture contact child-donor
MCK Fertility Centre
Right to know donor’s identity? Half He couples Majority Le couples & S mothers All donors
Half of all groups: the chance of a future meeting >50.
The majority: no objection against a meeting
The donor’s future role? None : He couples: 49%, Provider of information: Le couples & single mothers 50% Relationship with child : Single mothers 20% & Donors 34%
Heterosexual couples
Ambivalence and uncertainty in their answers. This is reflected in :
Their difficulties to tell
No full commitment to the law: some question the child’s right to know the donor’s identity
Ambivalence about a future meeting donor-child
Need to develop group counseling programs for candidate parents and for parents with children
Medisch Centrum Kinderwens
Single mothers
Most open to donor contact in future 20% would like their child to have an emotional
relationship with donor
Does absence of a partner increases donor expectations?
Risk child will grow up with donor expectations that might never be fulfilled
Counseling should address these issues
Medisch Centrum Kinderwens
Donors
Profile: mean age 37highly educated50% single73% no children & 58 % child wish
Helping the infertile major motive but…creating offspring 61%some kind of fatherhood 24%
All under scribe the child’s right to know donor’s identity
34% would want to built up a relationship with the child.
MCK Fertility Centre