Conceived before 1 August 1991
In the UK, from 1978 (when the IVF baby was born) through to 1991, around 8,700 babies were born following fertility treatment.
The HFEA’s record of births as a result of assisted conception from licensed UK fertility clinics starts from 1 August 1991 – the date the HFEA was set up – and onwards.
However, this doesn’t mean that the people born from your donation are not able to find out their donor information, but it is likely to be considerably harder than donor-conceived people born after 1991.
Donor Conceived Register
The Donor Conceived Register was set up on 1 April 2013 to replace the UK DonorLink(UKDL) and facilitates contact between donors and their donor-conceived children conceived before 1 August 1991.
Those affected by donation before 1 August 1991 are able to sign up to a contact register.
For more information see:
What if I want my donor-conceived offspring to receive more information about me?
If you donated before 1 August 1991, and want to give any potential children the ability to find out more about you, you could get in contact with the clinic where you made your donation and provide further information.
The clinic where your donation took place may still hold your records. Your clinic may be able to pass on anonymous information to anybody born as a result of your donation. Many clinics however will have closed down, or destroyed their records.
Page last updated: 18 April 2013