My Donor Offspring Research

WHAT IS THE EXPERIENCE OF CONFRONTING THE REALITY OF BEING A DONOR OFFSPRING?

Thesis for MA in Humanistic and Clinical Psychology, 2000

Center for Humanistic Studies (now the Michigan School of Psychology)

Donor Conception areas of concern:

1.        Secrecy – regret, anger, feeling of injustice
2.        Feeling different, discomfort telling others due to lack of understanding by others of the donor conception experience
3.        Feeling of not fitting in family, differences with social family and importance of acceptance of donor offspring for who they are
4.        Identity confusion – Who Am I? 
5.        Search for donor and family, need for ancestral connection
6.        Search for half-siblings, feeling a connection with them
7.        Concern about next generation and inherited medical concerns
8.        Feeling alone, having a need for contact with others and support
9.        Finding support and similar experiences in adoption groups
10.        Need to seek out information about donor conception
11.        Positive feelings:  being special, interesting, wanted, grateful to be alive
12.        Negative thoughts and feelings:  trouble, angry, injustice, loss, nonexistence, split feeling
13.       Wanting to normalize being donor conceived or parent, accepting the reality
14.       Belief that knowledge of genetic and medical history are a birthright 
15.       Becoming an activist, finding a sense of purpose, duty to speak up

        

        For further information:

        https://www.amazon.com/Sperm-Donor-Offspring-Identity-Experiences/dp/1419672614