Donor conception: How demographics and disclosure experiences impact donor-conceived adults’ motivations for seeking information about, and contact with, sperm donors

Abstract Research question Donor conception prevalence is increasing, so too the number of donor-conceived people identifying themselves, including offspring conceived when anonymity and secrecy were prevalent. In previous literature, some donor-conceived people have reported a desire to learn about their donor. This study aimed to find out how donor-conceived adults' demographic characteristics, mental health experiences and disclosure experiences shape motivations for seeking information about, and/or contact with, sperm donors. Design Sixty-nine Australian sperm donor-conceived adults completed an online survey. Uniquely, information and contact seeking were investigated as two distinct concepts. Results Participants reported a variety of demographic, mental health and disclosure/discovery experiences. The majority had been motivated to seek information about (88%), and/or contact with (73%) their donor. The most commonly reported motivations for each act were: for medical information; expand identity; curiosity. Logistic regression findings were significant for wanting medical information as a motivation for seeking donor information (p=.03). Endorsement of this motivation was associated with self-reported anxiety (p=.02) and less likely as participant age increased (p=.02). Motivation to contact donors for medical information was associated with self-reported anxiety (p=.02) and depression (p=.01) and more likely when the participant was raised in a household that included the recipient co-parent (p=.04). As years since disclosure/discovery increased, participants were less likely to report wanting medical information as a motivation (p=.02). Conclusion Overall, participants were motivated to obtain information and seek contact with sperm donors. Motivations for each were similar despite participants varying in age and reporting a range of circumstances regarding disclosure, some of which were adverse.