Social study of gamete donation children

The first British study of the emotional and social development of children born as a result of sperm or egg donation has found that the absence of genetic ties improves the well-being of all the family members. The research was carried out in the wake of the growing use of gamete donation in fertility treatment which has raised concern that the stress of infertility and the lack of a genetic relationship with at least one parent could be leading to dysfunctional parenting.

The study's author, Professor Susan Golombok, director of the Family and Child Psychology Research Centre at City University in London said that contrary to general assumptions, a strong desire for parenthood appeared to be more important to the child's development and family behaviour than a genetic link.

The research, based on more than 150 families with children between the ages of three and eight years, showed that in families where the child lacked a genetic relationship with the father, mothers expressed less warmth towards their children, whether or not they themselves were genetically related. But this did not appear to affect the quality of parenting.