Category: Uncategorized

Some of the team at Donor Conceived UK have put together a template letter/email that you can use to send to your local GP, telling them you are donor conceived, why this is important and why it should be noted on your medical file. This template can be amended to include whatever other relevant information…

Name: Toby Born: 1984 Where Conceived: Bristol I found out from my Grandfather who had Dementia. He said “You’ve been part of this family a long time and they love you” I think I replied with a confused look “Yeah they’re my family?” Then he proceeded to tell me I was adopted or donor conceived. He couldn’t remember.…

Name: Vanessa Born: 1998 Where conceived: UCSF Center for Reproductive Health (USA) I found out I was donor-conceived at the age of 22. I had recently graduated from my undergraduate studies in the US and had decided to move to the UK to pursue a master’s degree in Genomic Medicine—a degree choice that now feels…

I’ve tried many times over the years to explain the feeling of finding out you’re donor conceived. After the news. It all being so familiar but yet so alien. Like watching your family through a distorted lense. The French have a word for this- Jamais vu- You’re looking at things that should be familiar to…

Back in January of this year (2024), the HFEA made the difficult decision to remove funding for support services for donor-conceived people (DCP) and donors within the Opening the Register (OTR) cohort. This decision took effect in September 2024, and affects only those that were conceived or donated post-August 1991. This decision does not affect…

When thinking about contacting a half sibling for the first time, consider these points: Because of these points it is important to proceed thoughtfully and sensitively in any communications, as you may be about to inform them of life-changing news. Here are some recommendations: No matter the circumstances, make sure to give your half sibling time…

Listening is key. It’s an ongoing journey and there will be times the DCP is fine and times when they are not. When your loved one is discussing the various complex issues, you will have urges to make suggestions for dealing with the situation or will want to try and fix the problem but most…

Prior to learning one is Donor Conceived (DC), individuals may resonate with the following statements: A commercial DNA test is the first step to confirming whether you are Donor Conceived or not.

Name: B Born: 1998 Where Conceived: Esperance Hospital, Eastbourne I found out I was donor conceived in my mid-twenties through the results of a commercial DNA test, which was a massive shock, to say the least. At first, when I saw people on the DNA site who matched to me with such high levels of shared DNA, I…