How couples' experiences prior to the start of infertility treatment with donor gametes influence the disclosure decision.

AIMS

To explore couples' experiences in the preconception phase of infertility treatment with donor gametes and how this may influence the disclosure process to the offspring and/or others.

METHODS

In-depth interviews with 10 recipient couples were analyzed using a grounded theory approach.

RESULTS

In the context of their infertility and a culture in which definitions of gender and family are fundamentally biologically based, participants reconsidered the significance and meaning of genetics, and social connectedness in family-building and parenthood. When couples emphasized the similarities with the biologically based definitions of parenthood and family, the question of disclosing the donor conception to the offspring seemed less relevant. When couples adapted their view on families and parenthood to an alternative family formation, long-term consequences became more relevant, including the disclosure question. Support from others was needed to manage the challenges of this stage, but this could be in conflict with their decision of non-disclosing the donor conception to the potential offspring.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the importance of couples' experiences in the preconception phase for their disclosure process. The treatment of infertility and a future-oriented, family-building approach should be addressed in a fertility program with donor gametes and valued as complementary.