A peer-led charitable organisation to represent donor conceived people, donors and others affected by donor conception practices in the UK.
Our aim is to champion, empower and amplify the Donor conceived UK community
The shape and structure of this organisation will centre around three main pillars of support, education and advocacy
Support
As a community we support each other really well but sign posting needs improving so that all donor conceived people, historical donors, and others intergenerationally affected can find the help, support and resources they need easily.
Education
It is not OK to speak about the donor conceived experience without including the donor conceived voice. The voice of the Donor Conceived UK Community also needs to be amplified and more high quality resources need to be created to support all those inter-generationally affected by donor conception practises in the UK.
Advocacy
There is a lot of injustice in some historical and current donor conception practises. There is a passion within our community to create lasting change in this area.
What are we trying to achieve?
Following our extensive Consultation in 2023 with our stakeholders and the Donor Conceived community the existing Donor Conceived Register Registrants Panel (DCR RP) established Donor Conceived UK.
This new name reflects our widening remit ambitions in terms of support, education and advocacy and will also enable clearer signposting opportunities to ensure those who require support can find it easily.
Our founder, trustees, and leadership are all donor conceived themselves. This gives us unmatched authenticity, credibility, and clarity of purpose: to speak with and for the DCP community, and to build the support structure we were never given.
We imagine a society that:
- Recognises the relational and psychological legacies of donor conception
- Affirms every person’s right to know their genetic and medical history
- Supports Donor Conceived people to explore their identity with dignity and
compassion
We are the UK’s only national, peer-led organisation by, and for, donor conceived people.
We have now written a five-year strategic plan which sets out how Donor Conceived UK (DCUK) will respond to the urgent and growing needs of Donor Conceived people (DCP) and others affected by donor conception. It articulates our vision for systemic change, defines our roadmap to sustainable impact, and reinforces our commitment to centring lived experience in all we do.
We aim to:
- Remove key barriers to truth, identity, and wellbeing for DCP
- Build the UK’s first trauma-informed, lifespan-focused support infrastructure
- Influence public understanding, professional practice, and policy reform
- Establish strong financial, operational, and community foundations for long-term sustainability
We’re a tiny volunteer team doing big work but we can’t do it alone.
Set up a monthly donation here: donorconceiveduk.org.uk/donate.
A small monthly donation, even £5, makes a HUGE difference.
Thank you for standing with us.
How does donor conceived uk (DCUK) relate to the donor conceived register (DCR)?
Donor Conceived UK will continue to represent registrants of the Donor Conceived Register (DCR) service (those conceived or active before August 1991) which is funded by the HFEA and run by Liverpool Women’s Hospital Trust, and we will also represent:
- Those conceived or active after August 1991, who are entitled to apply to the ‘Opening The Register’ (OTR) HFEA record management service
- The Donor Sibling Link (DSL)
- Those affected by the ‘Open ID at 18’ Law changes, that came into affect in Autumn 2023, which allows DCP to apply for identifying information about the donor(s) used in their conception
The ‘Private’ Facebook group has now changed its name to Donor Conceived UK to reflect the more appropriate name for the community. It continues to operate in the same way – with the same rules and parameters for entry – that being over 18 and donor conceived in the UK or a historical donor who donated in the UK at least 18 years ago.
Donor Conceived UK is already delivering impact:
Policy advocacy and media engagement that has directly contributed to former
donors waiving anonymity.
“DCUK is a support network of people who’ve all gone through the same thing. I wish I’d found it sooner… I’ll never feel alone again.” – Community member
- A private peer-led online community of 900+ members
- Over 26,000 website hits since March 2024
- Responsive email and phone support
- Bi-annual in-person events for connection and healing
- Public storytelling to validate experiences and reduce isolation
If you would like to get in touch or require support please email us at: info@donorconceiveduk.org.uk