For donors:
If I completed my donations before the 1st April 2005, will I remain anonymous?
Yes, you will remain anonymous unless you complete a form stating that you agree to become identifiable. If you agree to become identifiable your donation can be used after the transitional period has ended.
If you want to be identified you can contact the clinic where your donated, the HFEA or UK Donorlink. If you donated after 1st April 2005 you will have been asked to complete new registration forms.
What happens if I don’t want to be an identifiable donor?
Your donation can be used in the treatment of others up until the end of the transitional period. After this, you must either re-register as identifiable or your donation cannot be used (unless it falls within one of the exemptions, such as being reserved to allow a couple to have a brother or sister to their existing child born using your sperm or eggs).
I need to update my information, but don’t want to re-register as an identifiable donor. Is this possible?
You can update your information by using another HFEA Donor Information form. In part 1 of the form you should tick the box marked ‘corrects or changes details already registered’. By doing this you will not be re-registering as an identifiable donor.
What will happen to my donation at the end of the transitional period if I haven’t re-registered to be identifiable?
Your donation cannot be used in the treatment of others after the transitional period has finished if you have not re-registered as identifiable (unless it is subject to one of the exemptions). Your donation can remain in storage but it cannot be used for treatments.
What information should my clinic provide if I want to become identifiable?
Your clinic should advise you about the implications of becoming identifiable and should also help you to find additional sources of advice and counselling before completing the re-registration form.
See also: HFEA: Information for donors
Information for patients:
I used an anonymous donor for treatment which resulted in the birth of my first child and would like to use the same anonymous donor to try for another child. Is this possible?
Yes it is. The gametes or embryos of anonymous donors may be used after the transitional period has ended to produce genetically-related siblings for existing children (as long as they were supplied by the donor before the end of the transitional period).
My partner and I created an embryo before the end of the transitional period with my egg and sperm from an anonymous donor. Can the embryo be transferred after the transitional period has ended?
Yes it can. An embryo created before 1st April 2006 using gametes from an anonymous donor together with the gametes of the woman to be treated (or their partner) may be transferred after the transitional period has ended.
I have had a child as a result of treatment with donor gametes and want to have another using the same anonymous donor, but there are no donor gametes in storage for this donor which was donated before 1st April 2006. Would this be possible?
No its not. The only way you could use the same donor is if they re-registered to become identifiable.
I have donated embryos in storage, but have not had any children from earlier attempts using this donor. Would I be able to use the same anonymous donor again?
I have embryos in storage, but no existing child. Would it be possible to use the same anonymous donor again?
If there are no existing children the donor cannot be used anonymously after the end of the transitional period. You could use the existing embryos first and if it resulted in a successful pregnancy, it would be possible to use gametes from that anonymous donor if provided that they were donated before the end of the transitional period (see first exemption).
I have had a child as a result of treatment with gametes from an anonymous donor, what happens if the donor re-registers?
Your child will have the right to apply to the HFEA for identifying information about the donor when they reach 18.