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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]
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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
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Materials and Methods
MCK Fertility Centre
Self developed questionnaire (response rate: 96%)
Population Donors 47
Heterosexual couples 77 Lesbian couples 105 Single women 80
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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% ____________________________________________
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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
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Motivations to donate (%)
MCK Fertility Centre
Helping infertile people 95
Creating offspring 61
Some kind of fatherhood 24
Validate own fertility 12
Financial reimbursement 5
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What do candidate parents want to know about the donor (%)
MCK Fertility Centre
No information 8_________________________________
Personality characteristics 28Life circumstances 21Physical characteristics 16
Number of children born 10Professional activity 9Motivation donor 8
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What do donors want to know about candidate parents (%)
MCK Fertility Centre
No information 10________________________________
Number of children born 88
Life circumstances (family type) 21
Personality / Physical characteristics 5
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Parents´ attitudes towards telling (%)
MCK Fertility Centre
Intention to tell?Yes Don´t know /
later___________________________________________He couples 88 12
Le couples 92 8
Single women 93 7
___________________________________________
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How difficult is telling? (%)
MCK Fertility Centre
not difficult rather difficult difficult
______________________________________________He couples 19 78 3
Le couples 60 40 -
Single women 42 56 2______________________________________________
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Most frequently expected difficulties are
MCK Fertility Centre
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?
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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 - -_____________________________________________
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Chance (informed) child wants to meet donor (%)
MCK Fertility Centre
<50% >50% Don’t know_______________________________________________He couples 19 51 30
Le couples 11 75 14
Single women 5 71 24_______________________________________________
Donors 20 48 32_______________________________________________
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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____________________________________________________________________________
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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___________________________________________________________
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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%
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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
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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
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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