One of the first things to consider, is whether you would like your child to be able to contact the donor after they turn 18 years old. The decision is very individual and is often affected by personal preferences and beliefs. On this page, you can read about the difference between ID Release and Non-ID Release Donors.
Note that no matter if you choose a Non-ID Release or an ID Release Donor at Cryos, the donor has agreed not to seek contact with any children born from his donations.
What is a Non-ID Release Donor?
A Non-ID Release Donor (sometimes also referred to as an anonymous or closed donor) is non-contactable. This means that if you choose this type of donor, you or your child will never receive more information about them, other than what has already been disclosed in their donor profile. We will never reveal the donor’s identity to you or your child.
The donor has chosen to be Non-ID Release, and they have agreed not to contact any potential donor-conceived children. Likewise, when purchasing donor gametes from Cryos, you agree, through the Terms of Agreement, not to attempt to contact the donor in the future. Nevertheless, with today’s DNA-testing services, there is a possibility that children and donors will find each other, despite the donor being Non-ID Release. We understand that you may be curious to know more about your donor, but our advice is to hold back and respect that the donor has made a choice and wishes to preserve their anonymity.
What is an ID Release Donor?
If you choose an ID Release Donor (sometimes also referred to as a non-anonymous or open donor) your child will have the opportunity to get identifying information about the donor from Cryos, when he or she turns 18. The donor has chosen to be ID Release and has agreed to be contacted by children conceived with the help of their sperm or eggs.
Although the donor has agreed to be contacted, we of course cannot guarantee or check whether the donor has changed their mind or whether they are accessible when the child reaches the age of 18.
To receive identifying information about the donor, the child must be able to document that he or she is the result of treatment with donor sperm or eggs from a specific Cryos ID Release Donor. When you have a child with donor gametes from Cryos, you can get a Donor Child Certificate, which your child can use to receive the identifying information about the donor after turning 18. If you would like a Donor Child Certificate for your child, you can contact our Customer Care Team who will send it to you by email.
The donor will never receive any information from Cryos about you as a client or your child. Therefore, it is completely up to the child whether he or she would like to seek contact with the donor or not.
The donor's decision
All Cryos’ donors are either Non-ID Release or ID Release. When a donor starts donating at Cryos, they are asked to decide whether they want to be ID Release, and thereby agree to potentially be contacted by donor-conceived children, or if they prefer to be Non-ID Release and wish to stay anonymous. Once they have made their decision, it cannot be changed.
It is very important to us that each donor understands and feels comfortable with their decision – as it will have implications for both them and the donor-conceived children. Before making their choice, the donor receives thorough information to help them with their decision.
Choosing between a Non-ID Release and an ID Release Donor
The choice between ID Release and Non-ID Release is both highly individual and complex. If you want to make sure that your child can get access to identifying information about the donor, you should choose an ID Release Donor. Most of the people we help enter parenthood prefer ID Release Donors.
Whether your child wants to receive the identifying information about the donor is up to them. Some donor-conceived children would like to know as much as possible about their genetic heritage. In those cases, choosing an ID Release Donor will be a big help for your child. Other donor-conceived children may never even wish to contact the donor even though they may appreciate having the possibility to do so.
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.