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I used an anonymous donor to conceive my son 18 years ago. I took it upon myself to locate the donor in 2008 using my own detective skills. While he did not respond to my attempt to connect, his sister later told me that the family had discovered a genetic defect of the aorta. The donor had an aortic dissection in 2007 and his mother and two brothers had also had aortic aneurysms requiring open heart surgery. When I had my son checked out, he already had an aneurysm 6mm smaller than the donor's when his dissected. The donor never reported this defect to the three facilities where he donated. If I hadn't located him, my son might be dead by now as would roughly half of his 36 offspring. This documentary had no medical concerns, but in America, you are at the mercy of the donors coming forward to report medical issues. The banks normally seek medical updates, and there is nothing to make donors report them. I wonder what safety measures are employed in England to protect the health of donor conceived persons? If they aren't allowed to know the donor numbers, how will they connect with each other and how will they find out updated medical information? We need much more accountability, at least in the USA, for the benefit of the donor conceived.
Rebecca Blackwell
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