Many people, LGBTQ and not, have used donor eggs, sperm, or embryos to create their families. I did. A new study by a researcher I have admired for years seeks to understand the experiences of these families — and if you’re part of one, she needs your help.
Dr. Rosanna Hertz is the Classes of 1919-1950 Reunion Professor of Sociology and Women’s and Gender Studies at Wellesley College (which happens to be my employer as well as my alma mater, but I work in a different part of the college than Dr. Hertz). She has done much work around issues of families and reproduction (her latest book, Single by Chance, Mothers by Choice, was one of the first I reviewed at this blog) and has also published papers on donor offspring. She is conducting the current study with Margaret K. Nelson, A. Barton Hepburn Professor of Sociology at Middlebury College.
Here’s what they say about their new research — and how parents who have used donors, donor-conceived youth (13+) and adults, and donors themselves can help by taking their survey:
We are excited to be launching three separate surveys for a research project, “Donors, Donor Siblings and the Making of Families.” Never before have both parents and children (teens and adults) of donor-conceived families been asked to answer separate surveys with identical questions. Both surveys are designed to provide an accurate reflection of how parents and their children think and feel about the use of donor sperm, eggs, and embryos. A third survey, for the donors themselves, will help shed light on their views about having been donors.
The survey results will be useful to all families as they discuss issues of donor conception, the donor, and possibly searching for half siblings. We will make our survey results available to anyone who takes the survey. Our goal is to understand your experiences so that resources can be better designed to serve families like yours in the future. The surveys have been approved by the IRB boards at Wellesley College and Middlebury College for everyone over the age of 13, and are completely anonymous. Anyone who takes the survey will be entered in a drawing to win one of 24 gift certificates ranging from $25 to $100. More importantly, we need your help and ask that you also pass the link forward. All of the surveys can be found at:
https://sites.google.com/site/donorfamilystudy/ and should take approximately 35 minutes to complete.
I hope some of you will consider taking the time to share your experiences and help people better understand our families.
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