Until recently, very little was known about how donor conceived people feel about their origins. Although many donors and recipients are happy with their conceptions, the journey isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Donor conception can cause psychological and emotional turmoil for some individuals. There is also a risk of infectious disease passing from donor to mother. Donor conception can be difficult for school age children as they learn about their biological parents. Donor conception can also cause developmental delays.
Donor conceived individuals may be lucky enough to find a close genetic match. However, it is still possible for the donor conceived individual to be left out in the cold.
Although not every donor conceived individual knows their origins, the number of donor conceived individuals is increasing. In the United States, the number of donor conceived children has increased by approximately 30% over the last ten years. There are also a number of donor conceived adults that have spent years searching for their bio parents.
Some donor conceived individuals feel like they are being deceived by their parents. Others are curious about their origins and have no problem enlisting the help of DNA discovery groups to learn more. These people may also be more upset than others. This can be difficult to predict. It may also be difficult for parents to determine whether they should tell their child or not. A parent’s best bet is to be honest and upfront with their child.
A new study from Stanford University found that a small percentage of donor-conceived individuals actually have more positive reactions to their donor than negative ones. One of the reasons for this is that parents have to be able to communicate with their child and have a rational conversation about their child’s origins.
The survey surveyed 143 donor-conceived individuals and found that most people were aware of the concept of a donor-conceived child. The most obvious question is why parents aren’t more proactive about disclosing their child’s origins. Parents may be too busy or afraid to confront their child about their donor. This isn’t to say that the donor conceived child is not deserving of the information. The survey found that 74 percent of respondents “often or very often” think about the nature of their conception.
There are many studies that examine the science behind donor conception, but many of the studies have been criticized for being anecdotal or lacking a scientific foundation. There is a need for more scientific studies on this topic. Some of the most promising studies have used phenomenological research, which is a valid method of doing things. However, it is difficult to find a large, random sample of donor-conceived individuals. This is why the best studies rely on a limited number of volunteers.
Although the best way to handle the situation is to make a communication plan that is both fair and reasonable to all involved parties, the survey found that only a small percentage of parents have done so. This may be a result of fear of rejection, anger, or not having the ability to talk to their child about their donor.