Following the removal of donor anonymity in 2005, we are expecting a surge of donor conceived young adults wanting to approach the HFEA for their donor identity release from late 2023.

If you donated your eggs, sperm or embryos as an identifiable donor from early 2005 please contact the clinic or donor bank where you donated to update your contact details in preparation for this so they can update your contact details on the HFEA register.

The consequences of not having your current contact details on the HFEA register is likely to mean that you are not informed by the HFEA that a donor conceived person has requested your identifying details. This in turn may result in an unexpected, out of the blue attempt at contact from the donor conceived person via routes such as social media platforms eg Facebook, LinkedIn etc or direct to consumer DNA testing sites.

Your clinic/donor bank or the HFEA can provide you with information about how many children were born from your donations and their gender and year of birth. Having this information can help you reflect on  how you feel about possible contact from the donor conceived people, and the impact this may have on your immediate family. Being prepared for contact and in a position where you can seek advice or support if you have concerns will always be the best approach.