Centre for Family Research, Faculty of Politics, Psychology, Sociology and International Studies, University of Cambridge, Free School Lane, Cambridge CB2 3RF, UK.
Hum Reprod. 2011 Oct;26(10):2777-82. doi: 10.1093/humrep/der252. Epub 2011 Aug 10.
For the past 10 years, we have been carrying out a longitudinal investigation of egg donation families in the UK; a subsample of recipients in these families had a child by egg donation from a sister or sister-in-law. In response to the current debate over the practice of intra-family donation, together with the general lack of available data on the consequences of donation between family members, we examined recipients' experiences of donation between sisters and sisters-in-law.
We analysed data from a subsample of recipient mothers who were taking part in a larger investigation of gamete donation families. Mothers were visited at home and interviewed when their child was aged 1, 3, 7 and 10 years. Data from nine recipient mothers whose egg donor was either their sister or sister-in-law were examined to assess the nature of mothers', fathers' and the child's relationship with the donor, and whether mothers had disclosed the nature of their child's conception to others, including the child.
The majority of recipient mothers reported positive relationships between the donor and members of their family (themselves, their partner and their children). Most mothers were happy with the donor's level of involvement with the child and reported that they and the donor maintained their social roles within the family, i.e. as mother and aunt, respectively. By age 10, two children had been told that they had been conceived using egg donation, both of whom had been told the identity of the donor.
Although the sample was small, this study provides the first longitudinal data on the experiences of families created using donated gametes from a family member. Intra-family donation between sisters or sisters-in-law can be a positive experience for recipients during the first 10 years following the child's birth. Studies that are specifically designed to look at donation between family members are needed to better evaluate the practice.
在过去的 10 年中，我们一直在对英国的捐卵家庭进行纵向调查；这些家庭中的一部分接受者通过姐姐或嫂子的捐卵生育了孩子。针对当前关于家庭内捐赠实践的争论，以及缺乏关于家庭成员之间捐赠后果的可用数据，我们研究了接受者在姐妹和嫂子之间的捐赠体验。
我们分析了参与更大规模配子捐赠家庭调查的部分接受者母亲的数据。当孩子 1、3、7 和 10 岁时，母亲在家中接受家访并接受访谈。检查了 9 位接受者母亲的数据，她们的卵子捐赠者是她们的姐妹或嫂子，以评估母亲、父亲和孩子与捐赠者的关系，以及母亲是否向他人（包括孩子）披露了孩子受孕的性质。
大多数接受者母亲报告说，捐赠者与家庭成员（自己、伴侣和孩子）之间存在积极的关系。大多数母亲对捐赠者与孩子的参与程度感到满意，并报告说她们和捐赠者在家庭中保持了各自的社会角色，即分别是母亲和阿姨。到 10 岁时，有两个孩子被告知他们是使用捐卵受孕的，他们都被告知了捐赠者的身份。
尽管样本较小，但这项研究提供了关于使用家庭成员捐赠的配子生育的家庭的第一个纵向数据。在孩子出生后的头 10 年里，姐妹或嫂子之间的家庭内捐赠对接受者来说可能是一种积极的体验。需要进行专门研究家庭内捐赠的研究，以更好地评估这种做法。
