No-ID Release and ID Release Sperm Donors

An anonymous sperm donor (No-ID Release) is a donor who decides that no personal information or identifying details will ever be revealed or shared with individuals conceived using their donated sperm. With anonymous sperm donation, the donor consents to clear boundaries for the future and understands and agrees that there will be no future contact with donor-conceived children or adults. 

What information is available when using an anonymous donor?

Donor anonymity does not mean that all donor information is withheld. Donor profile information will always be available, as it enables aspiring parents to make an informed decision. Though the nature of this data will vary from sperm bank to sperm bank, it should only contain non-identifying info. For instance, at European Sperm Bank, donor attributes on profiles include:

• Certain physical characteristics – hair and eye colour, skin tone, height etc.
• Cultural characteristics – ethnicity, native language, religion etc.
• Personality insights – likes, dislikes, personality type etc.
• Lifestyle insights – profession, education, hobbies etc.

In some cases, the profile may also include baby photos, handwritten notes, and voice recordings. All information is carefully screened to ensure it contains no identifying details.

Why choose an anonymous sperm donor?

People typically choose anonymous sperm donors for three main reasons: 

1. They believe it establishes clear boundaries 
2. They believe it allows for greater privacy 
3. They believe it is simpler than ID release options 

In some cases, cultural norms and local legal restrictions may also contribute to a preference for anonymous sperm donation.

While there is some truth to all these motivations, there can be exceptions. For instance, choosing an anonymous donor may simplify things for parents, but it might make them more complicated for donor-conceived individuals. Likewise, these motivations are not exclusive to anonymous donations. Many ID Release options establish clear boundaries and have strict rules about what is and isn’t permitted.

That’s not to say ID Release is better than No-ID Release or vice versa. The choice is a personal one and dependent on your preferences. However, it is important to recognise that decisions surrounding sperm donation and donor selection can be complex and multifaceted.

An open identity sperm donor (ID Release) is a donor who agrees to the release of identifying personal information to any individuals conceived using their sperm, once that individual reaches a certain age. The legal threshold for ID Release is often 18. However, some countries release information when a donor-conceived individual reaches the age of 16.

While non-anonymous sperm donors’ ID information will be released, there is no guarantee of contact between donor and the donor-conceived individual. Typically, the donor-conceived individual has to initiate the process by requesting contact, and then the ID donor can agree or decline. The donor is not allowed to initiate contact. It’s also important to note that parents do not usually receive any identifying information about the donor before or during fertility treatment.

What information can a donor-conceived adult access?

A donor-conceived adult who was conceived using sperm from an ID Release donor can access personal information that often includes the donor’s:

• Full name
• Date of birth
• Country of birth
• Most recent address provided to sperm bank

The information released varies from country to country, as do the precise rules surrounding identity disclosure, so it’s always important to research local regulations.

The formal process for requesting donor details is also region-specific. In most countries, it involves contacting the relevant local authority responsible for the national register (such as the HFEA in the UK or SaReg in Germany) and requires evidence of donor conception.

How can a donor-conceived people access donor information?

In cases where the sperm donor was registered with European Sperm Bank, more information is usually contained within our records than in any national register. Consequently, we also facilitate ID Release. Our three-step process involves:

1. Requesting the identity of a donor

As the first step of the process, we require documents confirming the individual’s donor conception. We need the following details and documents:

• A copy of the donor-conceived individual’s ID (passport or driver's license)
• A copy of an ID (passport or driver's license) for the parent who gave birth
• A copy of the donor-conceived individual’s birth certificate
• Name of the fertility clinic that the parent had treatment at, and approximate time of treatment
• A written confirmation from the clinic stating the donor alias or donor number.

2. Support session with our coordinator

Once the individual’s kinship with the donor is confirmed, our coordinator schedules a session to talk through the next steps. During this conversation, the donor-conceived individual and the coordinator also discuss how they feel about learning the identity of their donor, and how to deal with those feelings.

3. Learning the identity of a donor

Before we give out a donor’s identity information, the individual must sign a donor confidentiality agreement. The purpose of the agreement is to protect the donor’s privacy and to clarify that the individual understands what they can do with the information they receive.

We inform the donor once the individual receives the donor’s ID information. At this point, there is contact possibility and, if the donor-conceived individual wishes to request contact, we do so on their behalf. The donor then agrees to or declines the request.

What information can a donor access?

Donors have no right to any information about children conceived using their sperm or the parents of those children.

Why choose an ID release sperm donor?

Open identity sperm donors and aspiring parents choose ID Release because they believe it:

• Offers greater transparency
• Ensures a donor-conceived individual has the option to request identity information 
• Allows for future connection, should that individual want it. 

Increasingly, it’s also a legal requirement. In some countries, such as the UK, all new sperm donors must agree to ID Release and be an open donor in order to donate.

The difference between anonymous and non-anonymous sperm donors is whether identifying information is available for a donor-conceived individual when they come of age.  The ID Release vs No-ID Release question is difficult, and both donors and aspiring parents often have to think carefully about their decision.

Donor anonymity laws determine whether anonymous, open, or both donor types are available, and this varies from country to country.

As you can see, the legality of particular donor arrangements varies significantly and is entirely dependent on each country’s restrictions. 

Why do some countries no longer allow anonymous donations?

Donor identification laws in some countries no longer permit anonymous donation because they believe transparency protects the rights of donor-conceived adults who want to understand their history and origins. At the same time, sperm donor anonymity has become harder and harder to protect in the age of readily available genetic testing and genealogical tracing websites. 

Children respond differently to donor anonymity, and research shows there is a wide range of experiences and feelings towards anonymous donation. 

Some donor-conceived children show no interest in learning the identity of their donor, and it plays no role in their lives and doesn’t affect their sense of belonging to a family. 

For others, learning who their donor is an important part of their personal narrative and a necessary step in understanding who they are and where they come from.

Talking to children about donor identity choices

Whether their donor is ID Release or No-ID Release, experts recommend parents talk to donor-conceived children about their origins as early as possible, in an age-appropriate way. Donor conception conversations should prioritise:

• Openness – being open and honest about donor conception helps prevent children from associating with guilt or shame. Donor conception is a beautiful, positive thing, and we should reflect this in the way we talk to donor-conceived children.
• Age-appropriate disclosure – parents don’t need to tell donor-conceived children everything immediately. At first, they won’t understand all of what you’re telling them, but early conversations lay the foundations for later, more nuanced conversations.
• Recognise that trust is important – being open with your donor-conceived child establishes trust. Withholding important information can result in a breakdown in the trust that’s central to every healthy familial relationship.

Support (if you need or want it) – asking for help from a professional is a positive step if you’re feeling apprehensive about these conversations. While many parents don’t feel they need this support, many others find it extremely valuable.

Are sperm donors fully anonymous today?

Sperm donor anonymity depends on the country, with some countries only permitting ID Release, others mandating anonymous sperm donation, and several allowing both. Where anonymous sperm donors are still able to donate, sperm banks implement strict measures to secure their anonymity. 

Meanwhile, as DNA testing has become more accessible, anonymity is less absolute. For instance, it may be possible to identify an anonymous donor if a donor-conceived individual performs a DNA test and one of the donor’s relatives is registered with a genealogy website.

Can a child contact an anonymous donor later in life?

Regulations typically prevent donor-conceived children from contacting anonymous donors later in life. However, you cannot anticipate the impact of anonymous sperm donation on a child, and some donor-conceived individuals may still try to find and contact their donor. Accessible DNA testing has made this considerably easier. 

Can donors contact my child or me?

No, anonymous sperm donors cannot contact donor-conceived children or their parents. Neither ID Release nor No-ID Release donors receive any information about the individuals they donate to or the children conceived using their sperm. They cannot initiate contact.