Donor egg, donor sperm: what to know clinically, legally, and culturally

Reviewed by HHH Clinical Team · April 2026

1 section · 2 min read

Fertility & Treatment

2 minHHH clinical team

WHEN SHOULD YOU CONSIDER DONOR EGG OR DONOR SPERM?

When should you consider donor egg or donor sperm?

Donor egg or donor sperm comes up in fertility care for many reasons. Severe male factor where surgical sperm retrieval has not worked. Premature ovarian insufficiency. Genetic conditions parents do not wish to pass on. Multiple unsuccessful own-egg or own-sperm cycles. Same-sex couples and single parents by choice. The clinical decision is one part of the conversation. The legal, financial, family, and cultural parts are at least as significant.

The grey zone

Donor anonymity and what the child can find out later

Standard position · UK

In the UK since 2005, all donor-conceived children have the right at age 18 to access identifying information about their donor. Anonymous donation is no longer permitted by the HFEA. Donors agree to this when they donate.

Where it gets more nuanced

What we honestly do not know

We do not have good long-term data on the psychological outcomes of children conceived under different anonymity regimes. We know that telling children early about their conception story is associated with better outcomes than telling them late or never, but we do not have great comparative data between identity-release and anonymous regimes.

Bottom line

Where you receive treatment determines the legal framework around your child's right to know. This is worth understanding before, not after.

References

[1] icmr-art-act-2021Government of India. The Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act 2021.
[2] hfea-uk-fertility-treatment-2024Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA): Fertility treatment 2024, preliminary trends and figures.

Browse the full evidence library →

For your doctor

Patient considering or being offered donor egg / donor sperm IVF. Requests information on anonymity regime in jurisdiction of treatment, legal framework for parental rights, and resources for child-disclosure conversations.

We are considering donor IVF. I would like to understand the legal framework around donor anonymity here, what my child will be able to find out later, and what guidance exists on telling children early.

How did this land with you?