The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) has updated the terminology from “anonymous” to “nonidentified” to reflect the changing landscape where anonymity can be compromised through genetic testing and social media.
The Impact of Genetic Testing
Due to the increasing accessibility of commercial genetic testing, such as 23andMe and Ancestry.com, Donor Nexus would like to acknowledge the uncertainty in maintaining permanent anonymity for individuals involved in a nonidentified donor egg or donor embryo cycle.
It's important to understand that if either party decides to independently pursue genetic testing or any genetic relatives of either party, a connection may be established in the future.
What This Means for Egg Donors, Embryo Donors, and Intended Parents
Although we will continue to maintain donor and recipient confidentiality within our nonidentified egg and embryo donation programs, the child(ren) born as a result of the arrangement may independently pursue genetic testing in the future. This could lead to:
- Direct Discovery of Donor’s Identity: The donor's identity could be directly discovered through genetic testing.
- Indirect Discovery through Relatives: Connections might be established with genetic relatives of the donor, such as cousins or aunts, rather than directly with the donor. Offspring could also connect with genetic half-siblings from previous egg donations or with full genetic siblings in the case of embryo donation.
- Discovery of Offspring's Identity: The identities of offspring conceived using donated eggs or embryos may be discovered through independent genetic testing of the egg/embryo donors or their relatives.
The Reality of Genetic Testing Technologies on Egg Donation and Embryo Donation
With the rise of genetic testing technologies and accessibility through commercial products, it is not possible to guarantee permanent anonymity for individuals participating in nonidentified egg or embryo donation cycles or their offspring.
Our Commitment to Informed Decisions
At Donor Nexus, we aim to provide our donors and intended parents with a clear understanding of these implications to ensure informed decisions when pursuing a nonidentified egg donation or embryo donation cycle.
We will continue to offer nonidentified egg donation and embryo donation cycles, which offer more confidentiality than Identified/Open ID donations and generally establish that there will be no direct contact between the donor and the recipient(s). To learn more about the available options, please visit our resources below.
Further Reading and Resources:
