International Donor Conception Awareness Day Date in the current year: April 27, 2024

Donor conception is the process of having a baby using donated sperm, eggs or embryos through self-insemination or in vitro fertilization (IVF). Depending on the situation, it may or may not involve surrogacy. For some people, donor conception is the only way to start a family because they cannot successfully achieve a pregnancy and don’t want do adopt. It is a great way to have a baby for couples that struggle with fertility, LGBTQ+ couples, single people, and those who have a high risk of passing on an inheritable disease.

Laws regarding donor conception may vary depending on the jurisdiction, but egg and sperm donors (although the term “donor” is a misnomer since people who donate eggs or sperm most commonly receive financial compensation) are generally not legally recognized as parents and do not have any legal rights or obligations toward children conceived as a result of their donation.

The anonymity of egg and sperm donors is one of the main challenges regarding donor conception. Many egg or sperm recipients do not consider the choice between an anonymous and a non-anonymous one particularly important. However, studies have shown that many donor conceived children want to know at least something about their donor or donors for both medical and emotional reasons. Because of this, anonymous egg and/or sperm donation is illegal in some countries.

International Donor Conception Awareness Day (IDCAD) was launched in 2020 by American author and fertility counselor Jana Rupnow in collaboration with twenty other partners from different countries. Its main goals are to shed the light on alternative family building options for people who can’t conceive naturally, educate the general audience about the ethical and legal issues surrounding donor conception and its psychological and emotional impact, highlight the unique experiences and challenges of donor conceived individuals, and raise awareness of egg and sperm donors’ rights.

How can you celebrate International Donor Conception Awareness Day? If you have experience with donor conception, be it as a donor, parent or donor conceived child, consider sharing your story with the world to raise awareness of donor conception and dispel people’s prejudices and doubts regarding it. If you don’t know much about donor conception, this is your chance to learn more about assisted reproductive technology.

Other ways to observe include donating to a charity that provides support to families contemplating donor conception treatment or donor conceived individuals, attending an IDCAD event near you or organizing an event of your own, and sharing links to resources with reliable information about donor conception on social media with the hashtags #InternationalDonorConceptionAwarenessDay, #DonorConceptionAwarenessDay and #IDCAD to spread the word.