DATE PUBLISHED: 01 Jul 2019 LAST UPDATED: 14 Jul 2022

Donor anonymity and the impact of genetic testing kits

Home DNA testing kits are becoming increasingly popular, with people choosing to use them for all sorts of reasons – perhaps they are curious about their ancestry, or want more information on their medical background. The use of these kits has wide
reaching implications for egg and sperm donors, donor conceived children and their parents.

Since the law changed in 2005, it is no longer possible to donate anonymously in the UK, and children who have been conceived following donation can access ‘identifying’ information about their donor (such as their name and last known address) when they reach 18.

Before the law changed in 2005, donors were able to remain anonymous, and they could only be identified if they chose to join a voluntary register.

Now that DNA testing kits are becoming more widely used, it seems that it’s not really possible to guarantee that someone will remain anonymous (either indefinitely or for a set period of time). The donor doesn’t even necessarily have to participate in any testing or be registered on a database in order to be identified by someone with a genetic match.

The decision of when and how to tell a child that they were donor conceived is something which only a parent can decide, but the advice these days is that it’s best to tell children as early as possible. Given that young people now have the tools to make genetic discoveries on their own, it’s perhaps even more important for parents to talk openly to their donor-conceived children about these issues from a young age.

To speak to one of our expert Fertility Solicitors please call us on 01202 525333 or visit our webpage here.

How can we help?

When you submit this form an email will be sent to the relevant department who will contact you within 48 hours. If you require urgent advice please call 01202 525333.

Make an enquiry

Related news

3 minute read

Some good news for fertility patients

Read more
minute read

How is Coronavirus affecting UK surrogacy arrangements?

Read more
minute read

Fertility treatments suspended due to Covid-19 pandemic

Read more
minute read

Intended parents going through international surrogacy facing challenges due to Covid-19

Read more