A study of parental attitudes after donor insemination (AID)

Artificial donor insemination (AID) is important in the treatment of infertility when the couples' wish for a family is denied because of male sterility. However, very little is known regarding the continued development of AID families and their attitudes to insemination after the child is born. The study is based on a questionnaire anonymously completed by 92 couples returning to obtain a second child by insemination. None of the parents regretted his or her decision regarding insemination and the majority were prepared to recommend the method to other couples in the same situation. Apart from one couple the parents intended to withhold the truth from the child regarding its origin. The majority of parents chose not to inform anyone else regarding the child's conception. The parents were therefore anxious that case notes and details concerning insemination were treated with the utmost discretion and confidentiality. The parents in this study clearly indicated they preferred insemination to adoption. A large proportion of the parents who already had a child as a result of insemination returned to the clinic for a second child.