Information for families with donor-conceived children

Our Relative Strangers project explores how having children conceived using donor sperm or eggs affects family life.

We interviewed parents and grandparents of donor-conceived children about their experiences and heard many different stories. Just as these people shared their stories with us, we wanted to share what we have learned with other families.

This page is a collection of resources that we hope will be useful for families with (or considering) donor-conceived children.

It may also be of interest to groups working with these families, such as parents’ groups, fertility counsellors, family lawyers and health professionals.

Please note: these resources draw on research which finished in 2013. While we invited 'lesbian couples' to take part in the research we understand that gender and sexuality are complex and we'd use a different term now. Resources for 'lesbian couples' may also be of interest to other LBGTQ+ families with donor-conceived children.

Leaflets for parents and grandparents

Not every family has the same experience of donor conception and we found significant differences, for example, between the experiences of same-sex and heterosexual couples.

These leaflets address the main concerns we encountered from four different perspectives on donor conception:

• Lesbian couples with or planning donor-conceived children
• Heterosexual couples with or planning donor-conceived children
• Grandparents (where lesbian couples have donor-conceived children)
• Grandparents (where heterosexual couples have donor-conceived children)

Videos

Watch videos based on our research:

• Grandparents and the donor conception process
• Challenges facing lesbian couples with/planning children conceived using donor sperm
• Legal cases involving lesbian couples and a known sperm donor
• Lesbian couples trying to conceive using donor sperm - practical, emotional and legal issues