# Child contacting donor at 18



## Caroline1759 (Sep 10, 2009)

Hi
I'm hoping someone can advise me. This is more a practical question really. I'm pregnant using donor sperm from European Sperm Bank (I was single at time of treatment). I've used an open donor. I just wondered how the child would go about getting information on the donor or even contacting them if they wanted after turning 18? Its so many years ahead but how would they trace them bearing in mind the company may have undergone changes etc in that time? Its not clear to me from the contacting the company. I've asked them to send me donor information for me to keep for the child in the mean time but I've just been advised to get it from the profile on their website.

Does anyone have any experience of this?

Thanks

C


----------



## daisyg (Jan 7, 2004)

Hi Caroline,

Congratulations on your pregnancy!! The answer to your question is that the donor's info. will be on the HFEA database if you had treatment in the UK and your child will apply to the HFEA for that information. 

Hope that helps.

Daisy xx


----------



## Caroline1759 (Sep 10, 2009)

Thanks Daisy. I thought the HFEA only kept a register of UK donors not foreign ones? Where would they get the donor information from if I imported the donor sperm privately?

C xx


----------



## Godiva (Nov 19, 2015)

I have understood HFEA keep a register of all treatments done in fertility clinics. They do not keep records for home treatments. Information about the international donors will be kept by the HFEA if their material was used in a UK clinic (I suppose HFEA gets all the contact info from the international bank), although I doubt it would be updated, so after 18-20 years it might not be very accurate. Of course UK donors might not remember to update their information either, so no guarantees there either. If you do home insemination with international sperm, you/the child will have to ask information through the sperm bank itself. (no idea what systems are in place in case a sperm bank closes down for some reason or another).


----------



## daisyg (Jan 7, 2004)

Hi Caroline,


What Godiva said   .  She has explained it really well.


Best,
Daisy xxx


----------

