Disclosing donor conception: a mixed methods study exploring the experience and attitudes of French sperm donor-conceived adults born within heterosexual couples

RESEARCH QUESTION: How can the experiences and attitudes of donor-conceived people regarding the disclosure of their conception be understood, given the emphasis on openness and the ongoing challenges faced by donor-conceived families? DESIGN: A mixed-method exploratory study (March 2019 to September 2020) involving an online survey and in-depth interviews with French sperm donor-conceived adults born to heterosexual couples. The survey included 107 respondents aged 20-54 years, mostly women (86.9%) with high academic standards, informed of their conception at an average age of 18.6 (± 11.9). The interview involved 20 participants aged 21-53 years, most of whom were women (85%) and employed as managers (35%), informed between the ages of 5 and 49 years (average: 19.7 years). RESULTS: Age was not the primary factor for understanding how donor-conceived participants experienced and perceived disclosure. The circumstances of disclosure emerged as an independent factor, with four paths identified: disclosure as a mutually agreed parental strategy; disclosure perceived as necessary owing to events in the donor offspring's life; disclosure as a breach in a prior agreement between partners after a family event; and disclosure initiated by donor-conceived people themselves. Additionally, three factors explained the gendered gap that positioned mothers as the main actors in disclosure experiences: the organization of MAR protocols, the social perception of male infertility and the gendered division of labour within families. CONCLUSIONS: A contextualised approach to information-sharing practices is needed. Disclosure should be understood within its temporal and relational context to grasp how donor-conceived people experience learning the facts of their conception.