Good point! Indeed evidence suggests that same-sex couples and solo mothers are usually more open to talking about donor conception than heterosexual couples. Children pick up when parents feel uncomfortable discussing a topic, which can signal that it is not something okay to talk about #ESHREjc

Looking forward to the results! 🤓 There is a need for evidence-based resources to support DCP in navigating this path #ESHREjc

Need for greater consistency across Europe. Identity-release and cross-border registries only work if donor conception is accurately recorded and information remains accessible over time. How do we ensure that no donor-conceived person falls through the gaps? #ESHREjc

Yes, some couples are concerned about how their child might react in the future, including their potential search for the donor and the role the donor may play... Post-conception psychological support is important not only for DCP navigating this information, but also for parents #ESHREjc

For those who are curious: MYGENESIS-PATH is a digital psychological support tool tailored specifically to the experiences, identity, and needs of donor-conceived individuals. #ESHREjc

Absolutely! A DCP’s access to origins may depend less on their own circumstances than on where treatment occurred, where records are held and which law applied at the time. A right that effectively disappears when conception crosses a border is not a robust right. #ESHREjc

Yes indeed this a crucial question. If knowledge of one’s donor-conceived status depends entirely on parental disclosure, access to information about one’s own origins becomes contingent on someone else’s decision. Is that compatible with the child’s right to know their origins? #ESHREjc

There is a worldwide lack of post-conception psychosocial support for parents, donors and DCP ( see Paper Goedeke, Crawshaw, Indekeu) disclosure is not just about 'giving info' but much more about emotions ( insecurity, nervous,...) #ESHREjc

Important reminder: right to know is not an automatic right to contact. Access should be followed by a secure, reciprocal opt-in system for exchanging information or initiating contact. One person’s right to know must coexist with another person’s privacy and readiness… #ESHREjc

Current systems often treat the donor as the only genetically relevant person outside the recipient family. Yet same-donor donor siblings are not a secondary by-product. A rights framework should make room for these relationships without legal impositions. #ESHREjc

The more provocative question may be: should knowledge of one’s donor-conceived status depend entirely on whether and when parents decide to disclose it? #ESHREjc

This is precisely what the MyGENESIS project is addressing. We are testing MyGENESIS-PATH, a digital tool co-designed with DCP and professionals to help donor-conceived adults explore identity, origins, relationships and coping after discovery. #ESHREjc

Yes! Discovery may reshape how DCP understand their origins, family and sense of self. It can bring clarity, validation, agency and belonging, but also disruption, grief, betrayal, uncertainty, loyalty conflicts and fears of rejection. Its impact depends on context and support. #ESHREjc

And better family functioning was linked to greater uncertainty about seeking donor information. Rather than reducing its importance, close family relationships may create loyalty conflicts between curiosity about genetic origins and fears of hurting a parent. ? #ESHREjc

Both -donor and DCP- should be given the opportunity of support ( managing expectations, exploring if each wants contact, what kind of contact, in what way, if eg partner of the donor, his /her children know about the donation,...) #ESHREjc

YET, support for parents and DCP is essential to understand requests and guide questions regarding donor information througout all ages #ESHREjc

I wrote a paper together with Dutch colleagues ( legal experts and ethicist and psychologist) in Human Fertility. Access to your origine is a human right. From a legal point you need to have very strong/essential arguments to give DCP not access to this information. There weren'r any #ESHREjc

We are not quite sure. Some clinics provide the donor with information about the number of offspring. We do not know if this information is being provided to the DCPs if requested. #ESHREjc

Easy access to DNA testing has made full anonymity practically impossible, but of course it would be beneficial if there was a move away from anonymous donation in all of Europe. #ESHREjc

@eshre.bsky.social has recommended a European limit on the number of offspring per donor at an international level. An EU-wide donor registry could also facilitate DCP access to donor info and overcome the challanges of cross-border reproduction #ESHREjc
doi.org/10.1093/humr...