Sperm and egg donor kids have 'trust issues' and are at increased risk of ADHD if they're kept in the dark about their history, study finds
Children conceived from donated eggs or sperm are more likely to have 'trust issues' and 'identity difficulties' than non-donor offspring, a study suggests.
Researchers from King’s College London, who examined data from 4,666 people conceived from donated genetic material, said the problems stemmed from secrecy and anonymity surrounding parentage.
However, they found these individuals fared better if they were told of their parentage early.
More than 70,000 donor conceived people have been born in the UK since 1991 when modern records began, with a significant number also born before this date.
However, little is known about the long-term psychological challenges they face growing up.
More than 70,000 donor conceived people have been born in the UK since 1991 when records began, and a significant unknown number before this date
But fresh research from King's has highlighted how adults conceived by using egg or sperm donors can suffer from the secrets of their parentage.
Some people only find out after taking a DNA or ancestry test, a revelation that can lead to some people discovering they have host of half-siblings from the same donor.
In some rare and shocking cases some couples have discovered they are actually related.
Under UK law any person conceived from donated genetic material has the right to learn about their donor, including their name and address at time of donation, when they turn 18.
However, this only came into effect in 2005 meaning people conceived prior to that have no such guarantee to this information.
And even though this legislation now exists, the decision on whether to tell a person conceived by donation the truth about their parentage is left entirely up to the parents who raise them.
The researchers' review, published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, looked at 50 studies on the mental wellbeing of both donor conceived children and now adults.
This covered a total of 4,666 donor conceived individuals, mostly from high-income English-speaking countries.
Researchers found most studies showed those conceived by donors had higher or equivalent scores on their wellbeing, self-esteem and relationship warmth to non-donor offspring.
Senior author of the study, Professor Susan Bewley an expert in women's health, said this could be due to fact children conceived via donation are always born to families that wanted them.
'Donor conceived children are always planned for and wanted, as one or more of their parents would have had fertility issues,' she said.
'This might explain better relationships with their family and higher wellbeing.'
But on the other hand, the review found donor conceived people had a higher risk of suffering from problems stemming from 'feeling deceived, struggling with identify formation and lacking support to help them access information about their origins'.
The study found children had better physiological health if they were told they were donor conceived earlier in life. However, there is no legal requirement for families to tell their children the truth about their genetic lineage
These could manifest in several ways including addiction issues, ADHD, addiction issues, mental health problems, disruptive behaviour and identity problems, the researchers said.
Dr Charlotte Talbot, another author of the study and expert in women's health said: 'This is the largest body of evidence we have for wellbeing for donor conceived children and adults but it’s a complicated picture.
She added: 'While most outcomes are the same or better for this group than non-donor conceived people, qualitative studies revealed common themes relating to mistrust and concerns about genetic heritage.'
However, the authors donor conceived people tended to far better with these issues if they were told the truth early in life.
Laura Bridgens, Founder of the charity Donor Conceived UK (DCUK), said: 'There is a duty of care by the government and the fertility industry to listen to the voices of adult donor conceived people to create a future in which charity sector intervention is not needed to repair the mistakes of the past.'
The authors said medics working with prospective parents thinking of conceiving via a sperm or egg donor should inform them of the challenges people conceived this way can experience and advocate they disclose their origins to them early.
Researchers added that due to the studies they used being mainly from high-income English-speaking countries the results may not be applicable to other communities.
