[Information, transmission, secrecy: What kind of discourse for children born by gamete donation?]

Gynecol Obstet Fertil. 2016 Jul-Aug;44(7-8):410-6. doi: 10.1016/j.gyobfe.2016.05.002. Epub 2016 Jun 16.
[Article in French]

Abstract

The number of children born through gamete donation grows by the conceptions made abroad. All the couples engaging in this process do not benefit from of the same support around the issues raised by the information to the child and its terms. Through a literature review, the authors explore the data on information intentions from parents to child and to entourage, the influence of the issue of anonymity, the effective rate information, the influences of the age of the child, the terms information and links with family dynamics. The quantitative findings underscore the complexity of this task, since 10-90 % of couples report an intention to inform their child from conception through donation, while 5-30 % actually inform them after birth. Fifty-nine to 93 % of the relatives are nevertheless informed. The authors will highlight the psychopathological tracks that support the possibility of narration for parents: the internalization of their infertility, the representation of the gift, the development of rivalry towards donors, the secrecy and privacy. The objective of this article is to enable carers to accompany this reflection among future parents, a better listening of the issues raise by the couples allowing shoring their process.

Keywords: Conception; Disclosure; Don de gamète; Gametes donation; Information; Psychology; Transmission.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Age Factors
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Confidentiality / psychology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infertility / psychology
  • Insemination, Artificial, Heterologous / psychology*
  • Male
  • Oocyte Donation / psychology*
  • Parent-Child Relations
  • Parents / psychology
  • Patient Access to Records*
  • Spermatozoa*
  • Tissue Donors