“WHEN AND HOW DO I DO THAT?”: UNDERSTANDING PREGNANT AND NEW PARENTS’ PERSPECTIVES ABOUT NAVIGATING THEIR DONOR-CONCEIVED CHILDREN'S GENETICALLY LINKED KINSHIPS

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

12-1-2025

Publication Title

Fertil Steril

Keywords

adult, anticipation, best practice, child, clinical article, clinician, conception, conference abstract, confusion, conversation, counseling, embryo, emotion, fear, female, gamete, human, interview, male, married person, parent, parent counseling, pregnancy, qualitative analysis, qualitative research, reduction (chemistry), semi structured interview, sibling, social media

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Although the practice of donor-assisted conception was shrouded in secrecy, a shift toward openness and information sharing is taking place. At the same time, direct-to-consumer genetic tests and the proliferation of social media have increased opportunities for information exchange among members of donor-assisted kinships (e.g., donors, parents, donor-conceived people, genetic siblings). Yet, research about best practices for counseling parents on navigating these kinships is limited. To address this gap and as part of a larger in-depth qualitative study, we queried pregnant and new parents about navigating their children’s donor-assisted kinships. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Donor-gamete-recipient individuals and couples who were pregnant or were new parents were recruited through a multifaceted recruitment plan. Using a semi-structured interview guide, in-depth interviews were conducted with each participant and were digitally recorded, transcribed, and checked for accuracy. Descriptive qualitative analysis was used along with the rigorous and accelerated data reduction technique to identify participant themes. RESULTS: Twenty donor-gamete recipients who were married (n = 12), single (n = 5), or living with a partner (n = 3) and used donated eggs (n = 11), sperm (n = 5), eggs and sperm (n = 1), or embryos (n = 3) to achieve pregnancy participated in the study. Participants were pregnant or expecting (n = 5) or new parents with children between 0–24 months of age (n = 15). Three themes emerged from the descriptive analysis. In Theme 1: Recognizing My Own Emotions, feelings and challenges that pertained to their or their partner’s needs such as experiencing confusion, fear, apprehension and/or anticipation were reported. These emotions surrounded the future prospect of the if, when, and how of entering into conversations with the donor, their child(ren), or others regarding the larger kinship. Reflections on how to best support their children formed Theme 2: Helping My Child, where parents shared thoughts and concerns about implementing proactive support such as whether to join donor-assisted registries and how to manage their children’s reactions to evolving kinship information. In Theme 3: Navigating the Larger Kinship, participants reflected on how to best establish and/or maintain contact with donors and their children’s genetic siblings. Concerns about how to navigate these kinships when diverse values and beliefs between families occur also emerged. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnant and new donor-gamete recipient parents are eager for education and counseling about best practices for processing their emotions, supporting their child(ren), and navigating donor-assisted conception kinships. The themes provide three key topical areas to guide clinical counseling and healthcare. IMPACT STATEMENT: The participant insights provide a foundation for future research. The themes can serve as a tool for clinicians to guide counseling in three key areas of concern among pregnant and new donor-gamete recipient parents about navigating kinships. SUPPORT: This research was supported by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine Research Institute and was made possible by an educational grant from EMD Serono to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine Research Institute.

Volume

124

Issue

6

First Page

e151

Last Page

e152

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