HFEA launches #WhoIsMyDonor campaign

A campaign to raise awareness of donor conception has been launched by the UK's fertility regulator Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) as changes to UK donor anonymity law come into effect in October.

All children born from gamete donations given by donors who registered after 1 April 2005, will be able to access identifying information on their donor when they turn 18. The first 18th birthdays for this group is expected in October 2023, meaning anonymity of donors will be lifted in the UK for the first time next month. To raise awareness of this landmark moment in donor conception, the HFEA has launched the #WhoIsMyDonor campaign.

'We know that around 30 young people were conceived by donors who donated from 1 April to 31 December 2005 and, by the end of 2030, this rises to 2406 people' said Rachel Cutting, director of information and compliance at the HFEA. 'One quick email or phone call by a donor to the clinic where they donated, or to the HFEA, can make a huge difference to a donor conceived person's life. We hope the #WhoIsMyDonor campaign removes barriers to contact, and ensures all those affected by donor conception have the best possible outcome.'

The campaign, which runs between 19 September 2023 to 31 January 2024, aims to encourage donors to update their information at the HFEA's Opening the Register service, through which it releases specific information to donor conceived people, their parents or their donors. It also aims to raise awareness about the information available to people affected by egg and sperm donation and how they can apply for it.

'By law the HFEA must provide a donor's full name, date of birth and last known address when a donor conceived individual applies for it' explained Cutting.

Studies have shown that 'removal of anonymity' has a significant impact on donor children and so donors who donated anonymously before the law changed, are encouraged to lift their anonymity via the HFEA if they are comfortable with this.

'There are now many other ways that a donor could be identified such as home ancestry tests and historic donors will usually not have had information and support around this' said Professor Jackson Kirkman-Brown, chair of the Association for Reproductive and Clinical Scientists (ARCS). 'We therefore encourage them to reach out now and get the accurate guidance, support and information they require and deserve. Being a donor is an incredible gift and alongside the sector ARCS are keen to recognise and support those who enable people to have the families they desire'.

Although the HFEA is unable to disclose specific figures due to risk of identification, 'less than five' donor conceived children will become eligible to find their donor in October and more than 700 by the end of 2024. By 2030, around 11,427 donor children will be able to request identifying information.

There are still a few places available at the free-to-attend PET event Opening the Register: How to Handle Disclosure of Gamete Donor Information, taking place online this coming Wednesday (27 September 2023), with speakers including representatives of the HFEA and the Donor Conception Network.

Find out more and register here.