Being told or finding out that you were conceived with help from a sperm or egg donor can be something that happens to you at a very early age, at some point in childhood, or at some point in adulthood. How you feel about this information and the genetic connections that flow from it can vary. You may feel very positively, indifferently, or very negatively. Your feelings may also change over time, in different directions. What you do next is up to you. Some people want to find out more about the donor and the other people they are genetically related to, and other people don’t want to find out more information. In the UK, if you want information about the donor and those conceived through the same donor and raised by different parent/s (sometimes called donor siblings), the amount of information you can access in law depends on your birth date. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act was introduced in 1990, and brought with it the UK’s regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, or HFEA, in 1991. Today, the HFEA regulates fertility treatment at licensed clinics, and it holds a register of information about treatment with donated sperm, eggs, and embryos. If you were conceived before 1st August 1991: - The HFEA will not hold any information about you, the donor involved in your conception or other people who were conceived through the same donor. - The clinic your parent/s used may still hold some information and may or may not be able to share this with you. If you were conceived between 1st August 1991 and 31st March 2005: - The HFEA will hold non-identifying information about the donor. This generally includes a donor’s year and country of birth, their physical characteristics, their ethnicity, and whether they had children at the time of donation. It may also include information relating to their occupation and interests, and a brief self-description, which, when it is handwritten by the donor, is known as a ‘pen portrait’. - Once you reach the age of 16, you can request this non-identifying information about the donor from the HFEA, along with non-identifying information about donor siblings: how many there are, their gender/s, and their year/s of birth. Your parent/s can apply for this non-identifying information at any time after you are born. - It is possible that the donor has decided to remove their anonymity retrospectively so that you can receive their contact details if you request them. You can contact the HFEA to find out if your donor has changed their anonymous status. If you were conceived on or after 1st April 2005: - The HFEA will most likely hold identifying information about the donor – their name and last known address – along with non-identifying information about the donor and others conceived through the same donor. - Once you reach the age of 16, you can request non-identifying information about the donor and others conceived through the same donor from the HFEA. Your parent/s can apply for this non-identifying information at any time after you are born. - Once you reach the age of 18, you can request identifying information about the donor. Your parent/s cannot apply for this information. - In exceptional circumstances, you may have been conceived with an anonymous donor up until 31st March 2006 during the HFEA’s ‘transition period’. Where to go for more information and support There are two main organisations in the UK you can contact for support and advice: Donor Conception Network: https://www.dcnetwork.org/i-am/donor-conceived-person/ Donor Conceived UK: https://donorconceiveduk.org.uk If you want to apply for information from the HFEA, please visit: https://www.hfea.gov.uk/donation/finding-out-about-your-donor/apply-for-information/