The Dangers of Using Anonymously Donated Sperm

For women experincing infertility problems and single women who want to become mothers, artificial insemination with anonymous donor sperm seems like a miracle. These women dream of a perfect life with their babies, but reality is often far from those imagined happy endings. There are real risks to consider if you choose to use donor sperm, including inevitable questions that may plague the child throughout his or her life.

Medical Problems
While donation centers screen for common health risks and genetic problems, they cannot fully eliminate the risks that accompany conceiving a child. In 2008, a single mother tracked down several women who had used the same sperm donor and discovered that four of the donor's children had developed autism. In 2006, four children were born with severe congential neutropenia, a genetic disease so uncommon that donation centers don't typically screen for it.

Sperm banks do track donors' children for medical problems, and reputable banks remove sperm from circulation if children are born with health problems. But since some problems don't appear until a child grows, and since new sperm is constantly collected, there will always be some risk of giving birth to a child with a genetic problem.

Psychological Issues
The information provided by sperm banks won't tell you much about a donor's personality. The process is similar to answering personal ads; you find someone with interests you share and hope for the best. But as anyone who's been on a date from a personal ad knows, interests alone don't ensure compatibility.

While the exact nature of what forms a person's behavior is unknown, many psychologists believe that genetics play a role, so you could wind up with a child who's very different than what you expect.

Another issue that's come to light is romantic relationships between children who don't know they share the same donor. Though these cases are rare, they can be devastating to the couple that learns they are biologically related.

Identity Issues
As your child grows, he or she is going to have questions about the father, questions you won't be able to answer beyond the basic medical history supplied by the sperm bank. This can lead to serious identity development issues and emotional problems for the child. Donor children may feel incomplete, they may feel like outcasts or they may long to know who their fathers are.

While similar issues exist with adopted and foster children, these feelings can be more acute in children conceived with donor sperm, because as they grow up they will come to realize that their mothers had no relationship or personal knowledge of their fathers. Be aware that you may not be able to offer the reassurance or answers that your child needs to feel whole.

Donor registries are starting to appear online, allowing donors and children who were conceived with donated sperm to contact each other. Many donors are uneasy about allowing contact, because they fear they will become accountable for the children they helped to conceive, so there's no guarantee that a registry will provide the answers a child needs.