Share your experiences by joining our Patient Engagement Forum.Preparing to access non-identifying information about your donor and donor-conceived genetic sibling(s) from the HFEA
You may have known for some time that you were conceived with the use of donated eggs, sperm or embryos, you may have only just found out, or you may only suspect this to be the case. If you are aged 16 or over, you are entitled to apply to us to find out more.
Who is this information for?
This information is aimed at people who:
- are aged 16 or above, and
- were conceived through treatment at a UK-licensed clinic after 1 August 1991
Who want to:
- apply to the HFEA for non-identifying information about their donor and/or other people conceived with the same donor (donor-conceived genetic siblings)
- find out if their donor has agreed to share their identity with people conceived from their donation once they are 18 (this is relevant to people whose donor donated before 1 April 2005, as after this date a change to the law lifted donor anonymity. All donors who donated after this point will be identifiable to children born as a result of their donation once the children are 18).
What is ‘non-identifying information’?
Non-identifying information does not include information like a donor’s name or address, that would enable you to identify them. For example, non-identifying information about the donor might include their hair colour and eye colour, (rather than their name), or in terms of donor-conceived siblings, the number, sex and their years of birth.
This page explains how to apply for non-identifying information about your donor from the HFEA.
The page might also show some information relevant to anyone who has used or is thinking of using a home DNA testing and matching service. These services are outside of our route for accessing information and the HFEA does not regulate them. However, some of the questions to think about, may be the same.
Some people also use home DNA testing kits bought online, which offer ‘matching’ services to the other users in their databases, to try to find out the identity of their donor or their donor-conceived siblings.
It is possible that you could be identified, or that your identity could be worked out by combining information from the site with other information about you in the public domain e.g., on social media accounts by your donor or donor-conceived sibling(s). It is also possible that you could identify your donor or donor-conceived sibling(s) or work out their identity.
This is more likely to happen if you are a user of a DNA testing and matching site yourself (and have opted into ‘matching’ services). However, it could also happen even if you have not used a test yourself (if a close genetic relative is a user and has opted in to ‘matching’ services).
What can I expect?
If we hold information about your parent(s)’s fertility treatment which resulted in your birth on our secure database (‘the Register’), we can give you any non-identifying information we hold about your donor(s).
We can also tell you the number, sex and year of birth of any other people conceived with the help of that same donor (donor-conceived genetic siblings).
The process of accessing information (known as ‘Opening the Register’) can raise unexpected feelings, so before you decide whether to apply it’s important to think about what effect this could have on you and your family. This page outlines some of the things you might want to consider before going ahead.
Some things to think about
In the past, egg, sperm and embryo donation was anonymous and donors would only provide non-identifying information about themselves to be shared. However, the law changed in 2005 to mean that donors who donated after 1 April 2005 would be ‘identifiable’ (meaning any donor-conceived person born from their donation could request their name and address on reaching 18), and to allow past donors the opportunity to ‘become identifiable’. Becoming identifiable means, they re-register with us and agree to their identity also being shared with people conceived from their donation, if those people ask for it once they’ve turned 18.
Only a small number of pre-2005 donors have re-registered to become identifiable, but we can tell you if yours is one of these. If they are, you can apply for identifying information about them from the age of 18 if you wish.
If you are over the age of 18, it’s also possible that one or more of your donor-conceived genetic siblings (if there are any) may have agreed to share their name and contact details with you (through a service called Donor Sibling Link).
If you decide to apply to us for information about your donor or donor-conceived genetic siblings, you’re likely to go through many different emotions: anxiety, curiosity and excitement may all play a part.
Your feelings may change and perhaps become more intense after you have received the information. You may change your mind about what to do more than once or go so far and then stop and maybe return to it in the future. This is understandable and quite normal.
Think carefully before sharing any information about this process or details about your donor with people on social media sites such as TikTok, Instagram, X (Twitter) or Facebook – once shared it’s out of your control.
Some things to think about
Is this a good time in your life to get information about your donor?
Where you are in your life at the moment may affect how well you can cope with the possible feelings you will have, especially if you have recently been through a major life event such as a relationship breakdown, birth, or bereavement. What are your reasons for wanting information at this particular time?
Are any of your siblings also donor-conceived?
If so:
- Do you share the same donor?
- Are they too young to access the information themselves? Will you pass it on to them?
- If you’ve told them, how do they feel about you applying for this information?
- What impact could this have on them and on your relationships with them and with your family as a whole?
What do you expect to find out from us?
Wherever possible, we will give out the information we hold in the donor’s own handwriting. The quality and quantity of the information can vary a lot and could be very disappointing.
Your donor(s), at the time they donated, might not have realised that you would be told or find out you are donor-conceived, or may not have realised the importance to some donor-conceived people of having good quality information about their donor. Some donors have not provided any biographical information.
Have you got any expectations about how many donor-conceived genetic siblings you may have?
Up to 10 different sets of parents can use the same donor and each can use the same donor for more than one child. So, it’s possible you may have more than 20 donor-conceived genetic siblings; but it’s also possible that you don’t have any.
Remember that the donor may also have had children of their own at the time they donated or may have subsequently had children.
We can only tell you about any children the donor had at the time they donated if this information was provided.
If you are over 18 and you discover that there are others conceived with the help of the same donor, you will be eligible to join the Donor Sibling Link. This is a voluntary contact register for adult donor-conceived individuals who wish to exchange contact details with their donor-conceived genetic siblings.
Who do you have to support you?
Who else knows about your application and how supportive are they?
Have you told your parents or other family members?
Including your family in this process and being as open and honest as possible may help them and you feel more at ease. However, some family members may prefer you not to go ahead. Will this make a difference to your decision? How will you handle it either way?
What if your donor seems totally different to you?
You may not have anticipated your donor’s lifestyle and circumstances, and they may not have anticipated yours. For example, you may not have considered each other’s sexual orientation, gender identity or family set up (for example, single parent or divorced/separated family).
You may not share the same social/educational/cultural background, you could have very different life experiences and lifestyles, and your first language may not be the same.
If my donor donated anonymously before 1 April 2005, will I ever be able to find him or her?
If your parent(s) used an anonymous donor(s), there’s a small chance that the donor has since chosen to remove their anonymity (re-registered as identifiable)- not many donors have chosen to do this.
If this is the case, and you are aged 18 or over, we would be able to provide you with identifying information about them (including their full name, date and place of birth and most recent address held on our database (called the Register)). This information can help you make contact with your donor should you wish to.
You should consider what you would do/how you would feel if you discovered your donor has re-registered as identifiable, or if they remained anonymous.
If your donor hasn’t re-registered as identifiable, you may feel frustrated as you may have strong feelings about wanting to find them. However, as you will only be able to obtain non-identifying information about them from us, it’s unlikely that this information alone could lead to you being able to trace them.
It may also be the case that you could find out information about your donor through the use of home DNA tests available to buy online which offer ‘matching services’. You should think carefully about the potential implications before using a test. Find out more about home DNA testing and matching websites and their implications for donor-conceived people.
Find out more
Find out how to apply for information online.
If you plan to enter into an intimate relationship with someone who is also donor-conceived, we can also tell you if you are related to them. You must apply jointly to us for this information.
More information about obtaining information about your donor-conceived genetic siblings through can be found on Donor Sibling Link
We strongly recommend that you talk to a professional about the implications of finding out about your donor and donor-conceived genetic siblings.
Information from our partners
Support for donor-conceived people Donor Conceived UK
Support for donor conception families - Donor Conception Network
Professional association for infertility counselling - British Infertility Counselling Association
A directory of registered counsellors - British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
A database of UK counsellors and psychotherapists - Counselling Directory
Review date: 28 August 2026
