Majority of donor-conceived teens want donor information access, regardless of family or donation type.
Factors associated with donor-conceived adolescents' intention to request information about their open-identity oocyte or sperm donor (Groundstroem, 2024)
Groundstroem, H., Paulin, J., Sydsjö, G., & Lampic, C. (2024). Factors associated with donor-conceived adolescents' intention to request information about their open-identity oocyte or sperm donor [Abstract P-783]. Human Reproduction, 39(Supplement_1), i560. https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/deae108.1097
Geographic Region: Sweden
Research Question: Is adolescents' intention to request information about their open-identity donor associated with donor type, family form, or adolescent gender?
Research Methods: Part of a prospective longitudinal study (Swedish Study on Gamete Donation (SSGD)). Postal/web-survey of donor-conceived adolescents (ages 13-16) whose parents participated in previous waves of the study. Data collected in 2022-2023.
Sample: 98 adolescents (77% response rate): 48 conceived by sperm donation to lesbian couples, 27 by sperm donation to heterosexual couples, and 23 by oocyte donation to heterosexual couples. 48 girls and 50 boys with mean ages of 14.44 and 14.28, respectively.
Analysis Methods: Multinomial regression analysis
Key Findings:
56% of adolescents intended to request donor information, 12% did not intend to, 32% were unsure
Girls were significantly more likely than boys to state they did not intend to request donor information.
No significant differences in intentions based on family type or donation type
Of those planning to request information, 30% of boys and 15% of girls intended to contact the donor
29% were interested in contacting donor siblings, 27% were not interested, 44% were unsure
Limitations: Small sample size limiting statistical power. Possible attrition bias with less well-functioning families not participating.
Applications: Highlights that many donor-conceived adolescents want the option to access donor information. Gender differences suggest the need to understand the motivations of different groups.
Regulatory Context:
Sweden was one of the first countries to implement identity-release donation, passing legislation in 1984 that went into effect in 1985. Donor-conceived individuals have the legal right to obtain identifying information about their donor when they reach “sufficient maturity,” typically interpreted as age 18, though no specific age is mandated by law. Donor information is recorded in medical records that the child can access as an adult.
Only altruistic gamete donation is allowed. Donors can receive compensation for expenses and inconvenience, but not payment for the gametes themselves. Donors must be 18 years or older.
Legislation allowed donor insemination through the public healthcare system for heterosexual couples in 1985, and IVF treatment with donor eggs or sperm were also permitted to heterosexual couples in 2003. Sperm donation treatment became accessible to lesbian couples in 2005. In 2016, legislation was passed to allow access to assisted reproductive treatments, including procedures with donor eggs and donor sperm, for single women and lesbian couples. A separate change occurred in 2019, allowing both private and public clinics to perform treatments with donated eggs, and a double donation (using both a donated egg and donated sperm) became legal.
In Sweden, a donor can contribute to a maximum of six families. A central register of all donor treatments is maintained by the National Board of Health and Welfare. This register helps to connect donor-conceived individuals, donors, and their relatives.
Donors do not have any legal or financial obligations to offspring. They are not considered the legal parents.
Funding Source: Not provided
Lead Author: Henrik Groundstroem is a licensed psychologist and PhD student within clinical psychology at Umeå University in Sweden. His research focuses on long-term psychosocial consequences of gamete donation.