Disclosure issues and decisions of couples who conceived via donor insemination

Disclosing the use of donor insemination (DI) to family, friends, and offspring poses a quandary for many DI patients. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to determine whether couples opted to share information about conception via donor sperm with their children, as well as the issues and concerns that arose for parents once infertility treatment was completed. Twenty-seven married heterosexual infertile husbands and wives who had used DI to conceive completed a follow-up questionnaire asking them about disclosure decisions as well as thoughts about DI as a reproductive option. Results revealed that nearly three-quarters of the sample had not disclosed to their child and did not plan to, although 85% had told at least one other person about conception via DI. With few exceptions, husbands and wives agreed about how to handle disclosure. Notably, 32% of the mothers reported not knowing when or how to disclose. However, the majority of couples were not offered psychological counseling prior or subsequent to DI. It is suggested that mental health professionals should be aware of the divergence of opinion between what they believe about the benefits of disclosure/counseling, the beliefs of infertile couples about disclosure and what is actually known about the benefits of full disclosure among all involved parties.