Finding out about your donor and genetic siblings

What information can I request about my donor?

If you’re aged 16 or over, you can ask for information about your donor and any donor-conceived siblings you may have.

The type of information we may hold about your origins depends on when you were conceived, as the information donors were required to give us has changed over the years.

Unfortunately, we don’t hold any information about people who donated before 1 August 1991 as that’s when the HFEA was set up. However, you may wish to contact the Donor Conceived Register.

The UK-based Donor Conceived Register (DCR) matches donors and donor-conceived people and/or donor-conceived people sharing the same donor using accredited DNA testing, and provides counselling and peer support.

The DCR has historically been intended for anyone who donated in a UK clinic or was conceived following treatment in a UK clinic before August 1991. Those that were conceived or who donated after 1 August 1991 may also find matches if their donor also donated before the HFEA was set up.

The registrants of Donor Conceived UK also have their own website.

If you were conceived between 1 August 1991 and 31 March 2005

If you were conceived between 1 August 1991 and 31 March 2005, you can request:

• your donor’s physical description (height, weight, eye and hair colour) 
• the year and country of their birth 
• their ethnicity
• whether they had any children at the time of donation 
• any additional information the donor chose to supply such as occupation, religion, interests and a brief self description.

Bear in mind that not every donor will have provided all of this information. This means there is the possibility that you will receive less information than you would like – or what you get could be very different from what you expect. You may find it helpful to get counselling or talk to a support group before accessing any information from us.

People who donated during this period now have the opportunity to remove their anonymity if they wish. If your donor chooses to do this then you may be able to get their contact details providing you’re 18 years old. You’ll need to apply to us for information and if your donor has removed their anonymity we’ll let you know.

Information for past applicants

If your donor donated after 1st April 2005

From 1^st April 2005, people were no longer able to donate anonymously. This means that if your donor donated after 1^st April 2005, when you reach 18, they can ask for their donor’s name, date of birth and last known address.

At 16 you can ask for:

• Your donor’s physical description (height, weight, eye and hair colour) if provided
• the year and country of their birth 
• their ethnicity 
• whether they had any children, how many and their gender 
• their marital status 
• their medical history 
• a goodwill message to any potential children (if provided). We will redact any information that might reveal the donor’s identity.

At 18 you can ask for:

• Your donor’s name, date of birth and last known address.

If someone donated before 1 April 2005, even if it has been used more recently in treatment, it will still be viewed as an anonymous donation.

What information can I request about my donor-conceived siblings?

If your donor donated to any other families, you may have siblings you’re genetically related to. To find out whether you do have any donor-conceived siblings you'll need to apply to us for this information.

Once we’ve confirmed that you do have donor-conceived siblings, if you’re over 16 you can find out:

• how many donor-conceived siblings you have
• their sex
• their year of birth

At 18 you can join our Donor Sibling Link, which allows people conceived with the help of a donor to find their genetic siblings and share contact details.

Register for Donor Sibling Link

How can I avoid having a relationship with a donor-conceived sibling?

If you’re over 16 and are thinking about starting a physical relationship with someone, you can make a joint application to us to find out if you’re genetically related.

Apply for information

What if I’m not old enough to apply for information?

If you’re under 16 and feel ready to learn about your origins, you can ask your parent/s to request information from us on your behalf. Parents are entitled to this information because they are seen as having your best interests at heart.

Your parent/s can find out only anonymous information about your donor – including your donor’s:

• height
• hair colour 
• occupation
• goodwill message
• pen portrait.

Your parents can also find out the number, if any, of donor-conceived siblings you have who were conceived by your same donor (this does not include the donor’s legal/natural children). They cannot find out identifying information about your donor.

Finding out about your child's donor or donor-conceived siblings

When you turn 18 you'll be able to apply to receive identifying information about your donor, if it's available.

If someone donated before 1 April 2005, even if it has been used more recently in treatment, it will still be viewed as an anonymous donation.

What do I need to do before requesting information?

Finding out about your donor and any donor-conceived siblings you may have, can be an emotional process. That’s why we encourage you to get as much support as possible from family and friends, professional counsellors and people who have already been through this experience.

Get support and advice

Support and intermediary service

We’ve also produced information to help you think through some of the most common questions and concerns people have:

• Preparing to access identifying information about your donor
• Preparing to access non-identifying information about your donor and donor-conceived genetic siblings
• Preparing to exchange contact details with your donor-conceived genetic siblings

 

Where to go for support:

Our support and intermediary service

We offer a support and intermediary service for donor-conceived people thinking of contacting their donor or donor-conceived siblings.

Donor Conception Network

The Donor Conception Network is a supportive network of over 2000 donor-conceived people and their families.

British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)

Find an accredited counsellor on their website, Good to Talk.

I’m ready - how do I apply for information on my donor or genetic siblings?

You’ll need to submit an electronic application, along with proof of identification, which is also submitted electronically. It’s free to apply for information.

Apply for information