Future of donor anonymity threatened by growth of genetic testing

The rise of personal genetic testing and growth of international DNA databases could put an end to anonymous sperm and egg donation as donor-conceived individuals may unintentionally discover biological relatives, according to UCL researchers. The paper, published today in the journal Human Reproduction, reinforces the need for parents using donor conception to be fully informed that their children's DNA will identify that they are not the biological parents and that they should be encouraged to disclose their use of egg donation. Sperm donors should also be informed that their anonymity is not guaranteed, irrespective of whether they are donating in a country that practises anonymous donation or not. Over 3 million people have already used direct-to-consumer genetic testing, often via online companies without the input of healthcare professionals, to find out information about their ancestry and health and many are participating in international genetic genealogy databases that will match them with relatives. Professor Joyce Harper (UCL Institute of Women's Health) explained: "DNA tests are increasingly being used to solve unknown parentage cases for adoptees and donor-conceived persons. People are finding half-siblings and even biological parents in online databases that are open to the public.