There are many adults and teenagers in the UK who were created through donor conception. It is now commonplace for parents to tell their children about their origins, but that was not the case in past years.
You may have recently discovered that you are donor conceived, or you may suspect that you are. This situation can be upsetting: you might wonder about your identity, who your donors are, whether you can meet them, and how your parents could have kept this important information from you. Even children who have been told since they were little can be unsettled by their circumstances, as they grow older.
If you were born before April 2005 following parental treatment in a UK clinic it will be through anonymous donation, so you will not be able to make contact with any donor (unless they have made themselves known). Post April 2005 you may be able to make contact with your donor/s when you are 18, and this might seem daunting to you. You may have been conceived through treatment abroad, which might be a known or anonymous donation. The geography adds another dimension both to your origins and any possible contact. If you can, you should talk through your questions and feelings with your parent or parents. There is information and support offered by the Donor Conception Network (DCN). I would be pleased to have an initial, free of charge phone conversation with you to see if one to one counselling would help.
I am a registered member of the British Infertility Counselling Association and have been seeing fertility clients since 2014. I also have personal experience of donor conception and am a member of and facilitator for DCN, taking workshops for single women preparing for parenthood. Please contact me to discuss your situation and concerns.
