How donor-conceived people feel about discovering they have multiple donor half-siblings
Donor-conceived persons’ experiences of (possibly) having multiple donor half-siblings: A systematic literature review and thematic synthesis. (Sørensen, 2025)
Sørensen, L. S., Thirup, L., Thygesen, M., & Skytte, A. B. (2025). Donor-conceived persons’ experiences of (possibly) having multiple donor half-siblings: A systematic literature review and thematic synthesis. Human Reproduction, 40(Supplement 1), i466. Abstract P-548 from the 41st Annual Meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.
Geographic Region: Denmark (lead institution), with included studies representing findings from five countries globally.
Research Question: How do donor-conceived persons feel about having (or possibly having) multiple donor half-siblings, and how do they experience building relationships with these genetic relatives?
Design: Systematic literature review of peer-reviewed research on donor-conceived persons’ experiences with donor half-siblings. The researchers analyzed the results using thematic synthesis, a qualitative method that identifies common themes and patterns across different studies to produce a comprehensive understanding of the research question.
Sample: 18 studies with predominantly qualitative interview-based designs. The studies comprised a total sample of 2,162 donor-conceived persons aged 12 to 65 years. Most participants were donor-conceived through sperm donation, though some studies included individuals conceived through egg or embryo donation. Participants came from five different countries globally. The research intentionally included articles that involved both donor-conceived persons and their parents, but it extracted and analyzed only data from the donor-conceived persons themselves.
Key Findings
Donor-conceived people have varied initial reactions to learning they may have donor half-siblings. Some experience curiosity and interest in learning more, while others feel indifferent or express concern about the implications. These differing attitudes shape whether individuals actively seek contact with half-siblings or maintain distance.
When donor-conceived people do meet their donor half-siblings and desire to stay connected, they often face real challenges in forming and maintaining relationships. Large groups of half-siblings scattered across different geographic locations make regular connection difficult. Physical distance and the complexity of building meaningful bonds with genetic relatives they’ve never known present ongoing practical and emotional obstacles. Despite these challenges, some individuals successfully develop relationships and friendships with half-siblings.
For some donor-conceived persons, having donor half-siblings can provide a valuable sense of connection and belonging. These relationships can be understood as extended family and become a vital part of what it means to be donor-conceived. Donor half-siblings can offer emotional support and help individuals feel less alone in their experiences. At the same time, the existence of half-siblings can highlight feelings of being different from genetically related families or create complications in how families understand their own identity and structure.
Overall, the research shows that the experience of having donor half-siblings can be both rewarding and complex, sometimes requiring donor-conceived persons to navigate emotional responses, practical relationship-building challenges, and important questions about identity and belonging.
Limitations: The included studies were conducted with similar populations (predominantly from developed countries with relatively open attitudes toward donor conception), limiting how well these findings generalize to donor-conceived people in other cultural contexts or countries with different legal and social frameworks regarding donor conception. Several studies recruited participants through registries that connect donor-conceived individuals, naturally selecting for those already motivated to seek information and connections related to their donor origins. The predominance of sperm-donor-conceived persons in the included studies means findings may not fully capture the experiences of those conceived through egg or embryo donation.
Applications: This research highlights that donor-conceived persons themselves often value knowing about (or at least being able to access information about) the existence of donor half-siblings. Parents who are considering disclosure decisions may find it helpful to understand that many donor-conceived people view these relationships positively and as part of their identity, which may support arguments for openness about donor conception. Future research should work to include donor-conceived people who are not actively seeking connections, as well as individuals from diverse cultural and legal contexts, to capture a fuller range of experiences.
Funding Source: Not specified in the abstract.
Lead Author: Sophie Sørensen is a researcher at Cryos International (Scientific Department) in Aarhus, Denmark, where she contributes to research on donor conception and the experiences of donor-conceived persons and donors.
Regulatory Context: Regulations vary across jurisdictions.
Related Posts:
How donor siblings navigate new family relationships (Hertz, 2022)
Dutch study reveals three-phase process for how half-siblings build relationships (Bolt, 2023)
Adult Offspring of Lesbian Parents Reflect on Having Been Donor Conceived: Feelings About Their Sperm Donor and Donor Siblings (Rothblum, 2024)