Abstract
Donor insemination (DI) is the oldest form of third-party reproduction. The first successful DI went unreported for 25 years, presumably to protect the individuals involved from embarrassment. Legal opinion, once decidedly against the procedure, has evolved over time, making the procedure available to increasing numbers of people. Professional opinion about disclosure of the use of DI has split, with physicians recommending against it and mental health professionals speaking of the value to the family and resultant child. Research on the psychological aspects of DI has grown over the years but is still limited.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Thorn P. Recipient counseling for donor insemination. In: Covington SN, Burns LH, editors. Infertility counseling: a comprehensive handbook for clinicians. New York: Cambridge University Press; 2006. p. 305–18.
Rose J. A critical analysis of sperm donation practices: the personal and social effects of disrupting the unity of biological and social relatedness for the offspring. Brisbane, Australia: Queensland University of Technology; 2009.
Hard AD. Artificial impregnation. Med World. 1909;27:163–4.
Morawski JG. Imaginings of parenthood: artificial insemination, experts, gender relations, and paternity. In: de Rivera J, Sarbin TR, editors. Believed in imaginings: the narrative construction of reality. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association; 1997. p. 229–46.
Petok WD. (2007) Male-factor infertility: psychological, sociological and cultural perspectives. American Society for Reproductive Medicine Postgraduate Course.
Carmeli YS, Birenbaum-Carmeli D. The predicament of masculinity: towards understanding the male’s experience of infertility treatments. Sex Roles J Res. 1994;30:663–77.
Fader S. Sperm banking: a reproductive resource. Los Angeles: Cryobank, Inc.; 1993.
Sawyer N. Sperm donor limits that control for the ‘relative’ risk associated with the use of open-identity donors. Hum Reprod. 2010;25:1089–96.
Applegarth LD, Kingsberg SA. The donor as patient: assessment and support. In: Covington SN, Burns LH, editors. Infertility counseling: a comprehensive handbook for clinicians. New York: Cambridge University Press; 2006. p. 339–55.
Cook R, Golombok S. A survey of semen donation: phase II—the view of the donors. Hum Reprod. 1995;10:951–9.
Daniels KR, Curson R, Lewis GM. Semen donor recruitment: a study of donors in two clinics. Hum Reprod. 1996;11:746–51.
Lui SC, Weaver SM, Robinson J, Debono M, Nieland M, Killick SR, et al. A survey of semen donor attitudes. Hum Reprod. 1995;10:234–8.
Emond M, Scheib JE. Why not donate sperm? A study of potential donors. Evol Hum Behav. 1998; 19:313–9.
Kirkman M. Saviours and satyrs: ambivalence in narrative meanings of sperm provision. Cult Health Sex. 2004;6:319–35.
Yee S. “Gift without price tag”: altruism in anonymous semen donation. Hum Reprod. 2009;24:3–13.
Sydsjo G, Lampic C, Brandstrom S, Gudmondsson J, Karlstrom P-O, Solensten NG, et al. Who becomes a sperm donor: personality characteristics in a national sample of identifiable donors. BJOG. 2012;119:33–9.
Ekerhovd E, Faurskov A, Werner C. Swedish sperm donors are driven by altruism, but shortage of sperm donors leads to reproductive traveling. Upsala J Med Sci. 2008;113:305–14.
Riggs DW, Russell L. Characteristics of men willing to act as sperm donors in the context of identity-release legislation. Hum Reprod. 2011;26:266–72.
Freemant JV, Kramer W, Golombok S. Gamete donation: parents’ experiences of searching for their child’s donor siblings and donor. Hum Reprod. 2009; 24:505–16.
Mason MC. Male infertility—men talking. London: Routledge; 1993.
Fisher JRW, Hammarberg K. Psychological and social aspects of infertility in men: an overview of the evidence and implications for psychologically informed clinical care and future research. Asian J Androl. 2012;14:121–9.
Schover LR, Thomas AJ. Overcoming male infertility. New York: Wiley; 2000.
Eisenberg ML, Smith JF, Millstein SG, Walsh TJ, Breyer BN, Katz PP. Perceived negative consequences of donor gametes from male and female members of infertile couples. Fertil Steril. 2010;94:921–6.
Paul MS, Berger R. Topic avoidance and family functioning in families conceived with donor insemination. Hum Reprod. 2007;22:2566–71.
Hunter M, Salter-Ling N, Glover L. Donor insemination: telling children about their origins. Child Psychol Psychiat Rev. 2000;5:157–63.
Daniels KR, Thorn P. Sharing information with donor insemination offspring. Hum Reprod. 2001;16:1792–6.
Jacob MC. Lesbian couples and single women. In: Burns LH, Covington SN, editors. Infertility counseling: a comprehensive handbook for clinicians. Pearl River, NY: Parthenon; 1999. p. 267–81.
Gartrell N, Hamilton J, Banks A, Mosbacher D, Reed N, Sparks CH, et al. The national lesbian family study: 1. Interviews with prospective mothers. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 1996;66:272–81.
Murray C, Golombok S. Going it alone: solo mothers and their infants conceived by donor insemination. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2005;75:242–53.
Shehab D, Duff J, Pasch LA, MacDougall K, Scheib JE, Nachtigall RD. How parents whose children have been conceived with donor gametes make their disclosure decision: contexts, influences, and couple dynamics. Fertil Steril. 2008;89:179–87.
Bos H, van Balen H. Children of the new reproductive technologies: social and genetic parenthood. Patient Educ Couns. 2010;81:429–35.
Golombok S, Badger S. Children raised in mother-headed families from infancy: a follow-up of children of lesbian and single heterosexual mothers, at early adulthood. Hum Reprod. 2010;25:150–7.
MacCallum F, Golombok S. Children raised in fatherless families from infancy: a follow-up of children of lesbian and single heterosexual mothers at early adolescence. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2004;45: 1407–19.
Kirkman M. Parents’ contributions to the narrative identity of offspring of donor-assisted conception. Soc Sci Med. 2003;57:2229–42.
Lycett E, Daniels K, Curson R, Golombok S. Offspring created as a result of donor insemination: a study of family relationships, child adjustment, and disclosure. Fertil Steril. 2004;82:172–9.
Golombok S, MacCallum F, Goodman E, Rutter M. Families with children conceived by donor insemination: a follow-up at age 12. Child Dev. 2002;73:952–68.
Blake L, Casey P, Readings J, Jadva V, Golombok S. “Daddy ran out of tadpoles”: how parents tell their children that they are donor conceived, and what their 7 year olds understand. Hum Reprod. 2010;25:2527–34.
Turner A, Coyle A. What does it mean to be a donor offspring? The identity experiences of adults conceived by donor insemination and the implications for counseling and therapy. Hum Reprod. 2000;15:2041–51.
The Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Using family members as gamete donors or surrogates. Fertil Steril. 2012;98:797–803.
The Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Recommendations for gamete and embryo donation: a committee opinion. Fertil Steril. 2013;99:47–62.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Petok, W.D. (2014). Sperm Donation: Psychological Aspects. In: Goldfarb, J. (eds) Third-Party Reproduction. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7169-1_15
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7169-1_15
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-7168-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-7169-1
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)