This study explores the attitudes and experiences of 57 sperm donors who responded to a survey posted online in the United States and indicated that they had had contact with their donor-conceived offspring or the parents of their donor-conceived offspring. On average, 18 years had elapsed since the respondents donated sperm. In the interim between donating and having contact with offspring, most had become curious about their offspring. Most made contact through a bank or online registry. Most respondents had communicated with at least one offspring at least once and most had exchanged photos with offspring.
The Case for Ending the Anonymity of Egg and Sperm Donations in the United States
How to Choose Between an Anonymous vs Open Sperm Donor
An open donor is any situation in which the identity of the donor is known and an anonymous donor is of course a situation in which the identity is unknown. If you used an open donor, once the child turns 18 they may learn who the donor was. However, an anonymous donor will forever remain anonymous. While the choice is ultimately a personal one that can only be decided by you, below are some factors to consider that may help you in making your decision between anonymous vs open sperm donor.
Sperm donors describe the experience of contact with their donor-conceived offspring
Lampic, A. Skoog Svanberg, G. What are oocyte donors and sperm donors' attitudes towards disclosure and relationship to donor offspring?
Egg and sperm donations in the United States have long proceeded under the cloak of secrecy. Twenty-five years ago, when I first started interviewing patients who used donors to conceive a child, many intended parents struggled with whether eventually to tell their child about the nature of his or her conception. The last approach dovetailed with the industry standard that required donor anonymity. In subsequent years, my research has led me to conclude that mandatory donor anonymity is problematic — not only for the children conceived with donor help, but also for donors themselves and the people who created their families with donor assistance.