Category: grief

Ask A Therapist: Struggling with Donor Conceived Son’s Boundaries

A recipient parent struggles with the boundaries his donor conceived son has created around sharing information about siblings and the donor.

December 16, 2024Ask A Therapist, disclosure, early disclosure, education, egg donation, embryo donation, genetic identity, grief, guides and resources: parents, identity release, late disclosure, lgbtq, lgbtqia+, mental health, offspring, open ID at 18, siblings, single parent by choice, smbc, sperm donation, Uncategorized
Navigating the Holidays as a Donor Conceived Person

The holidays can be a joyful time full of connection and tradition, yet for donor conceived people (DCP), this season may also stir up complex feelings around family, identity, and belonging.

December 11, 2024Uncategorized, anonymity, culture, disclosure, early disclosure, education, egg donation, embryo donation, ethnicity, genetic identity, gratitude, grief, identity release, info and guides, known donor, late disclosure, lgbtq, lgbtqia+, medical history, mental health, offspring, open ID at 18, resources: donor conceived persons, siblings, single parent by choice, smbc, sperm donation
Gamete & Embryo Donors: Holiday Stressors & Strategies

The holidays are fraught with stressors for everyone. As an egg, sperm, or embryo donor, the holidays contain an extra layer of complexity.

December 11, 2024guides and resources: donors, disclosure, early disclosure, education, egg donation, embryo donation, gratitude, grief, identity release, known donor, late disclosure, mental health, offspring, open ID at 18, sperm donation, surrogacy, Uncategorized
Ask a Therapist: Seeking Advice to Support a Single Mom by Choice

A concerned friend wants to know how best to support a single mom by choice who has a strained relationship with her adult donor conceived daughter.

December 2, 2024Ask A Therapist, disclosure, early disclosure, education, genetic identity, grief, identity release, late disclosure, lgbtq, lgbtqia+, mental health, offspring, open ID at 18, siblings, single parent by choice, smbc, sperm donation
Ask a Therapist: Telling a New Sibling Their Father Was Not the Donor

A donor conceived person wonders how to inform a new sibling that their father was not the donor and that the sibling is instead also donor conceived.

August 30, 2024info and guides, Ask A Therapist, disclosure, early disclosure, education, egg donation, embryo donation, featured, genetic identity, grief, identity release, late disclosure, mental health, offspring, open ID at 18, siblings, sperm donation
Ask a Therapist: Dealing with Child’s Deep Distress after Adulthood Disclosure

A recipient parent seeks advice and resources to address her daughter's deep distress from the late disclosure of being donor conceived.

July 16, 2024Ask A Therapist, disclosure, genetic identity, grief, late disclosure, mental health
Switched Before Birth: How a mislabeled vial upended my family’s world

Casey Duncan is the recipient parent to two donor conceived people. One of them was “switched before birth.”

May 20, 2024guest post, advocacy, anonymity, blog, disclosure, early disclosure, genetic identity, grief, identity release, lgbtq, lgbtqia+, medical history, mental health, offspring, open ID at 18, regulation, siblings, smbc, sperm donation, views
Ask a Therapist: Estrangement after Ignoring Child’s Curiosity about the Donor

A recipient parent wonders how to fix a strained relationship with her child after failing to respond to the child's curiosity about the donor while growing up.

May 4, 2024Ask A Therapist, disclosure, early disclosure, egg donation, embryo donation, genetic identity, grief, lgbtq, lgbtqia+, smbc, sperm donation
My Journey of Discovery after Early Disclosure

I cannot remember a time in my life that I did not know I was donor conceived. I was raised by the most amazing single mother and never lacked anything, but I was constantly reminded I did not have a dad.

July 14, 2023early disclosure, anonymity, blog, disclosure, featured, genetic identity, gratitude, grief, medical history, offspring, siblings, smbc, sperm donation
Incredulity, Anxiety, Yearning, and Other Emotions of Late Discovery

"I joke with people that my first thought was, 'I’ve been diluted.' And as humorous as it may be to joke that finding out I was half white contributed to a sense of identity or cultural 'dilution,' it simultaneously created an incomparable sadness that took years to deconstruct."

April 24, 2023egg donation, BIPOC, culture, disclosure, ethnicity, featured, genetic identity, grief, guest post, known donor, late disclosure, offspring, siblings, views