Non-ID Release & ID Release Donors

Different donor types give you more flexibility in your choice

Sperm donors are either Non-ID Release or ID Release and can have basic or extended profiles. Egg donors are either Non-ID Release or ID Release and only have an extended profile.

ID Release definitions do not mean that the donors are not identifiable. As donor sperm and eggs carry DNA, there is always a risk that donors, recipients, and children can be traced via DNA-analysis and maybe otherwise making the privacy questionable in the future.

Non-ID Release (anonymous)

If the donor is Non-ID Release, Cryos will never release the identity of the donor and the client agrees not to try to contact the donor.

ID Release (non-anonymous)

If the donor is ID Release, Cryos will disclose identifying information about the donor to clinics and authorities in countries where this is mandatory before or in relation to import or treatment. Cryos will disclose identifying information about the donor to the donor to the child itself at the donor child’s request and only once the child has reached the age of 18. The child must document, or render probable, that he/she is the result of a treatment with donor sperm and eggs from a specific ID Release donor from Cryos. The code (name/number) of the donor in question must be informed.

The donor has agreed to be contacted by the children, but Cryos has no responsibility whether the donor will do so in the future.

For more information, please read our Terms of Agreement.

The choice between Non-ID Release & ID Release donors

If you want to make sure that your child can get access to identifying information in the future, you must choose an ID Release donor. Evidence suggests that single women and same sex couples prefer ID Release donors, while heterosexual couples seem to prefer Non-ID Release donors in order to protect the man's integrity as the father and thus their own family identity.

Some heterosexual couples choose an ID Release donor precisely because they plan to inform the child of its origin and therefore want to ensure the possibility of future contact with the donor. Conversely, many single mothers choose a Non-ID Release donor because they plan to find a partner who can more easily take on the role of father and adopt the child when there is less focus on the existence of a donor. The choice is both highly individual and complex.

If your treatment is to take place at a clinic, you should always check that the clinic can treat you with the type of donor you have chosen.

Do you need help making a decision?

At Cryos, we want to support and help you on your path to parenthood. Please contact us if you have questions or need further information about choosing the right donor for you.