Donor Unknown

There is unlimited access to donor information for customers including extended donor profiles, medical histories, donor personal essays and staff impressions of the donor, childhood photos, donor conversations and Keirsey reports. Jeffery implies that he might not have been completely honest when he created his profile.

Is there/should there be a system to check the information donors provide is correct especially when it comes to health issues, given the genetic inheritance on a number of diseases? Do donors feel pressured into making themselves more appealing to customers?

Sperm and egg donors undergo a comprehensive medical screening, which includes quite a lot of genetic tests and also a consultation with the family doctor to make sure there is nothing in the family history which might not be detected in genetic tests.

The standards of medical and genetic assessment in the US are set down by the American Society of Reproductive Medicine and in the UK by a joint working party of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the British Fertility Society and others.

The social information provided by donors about themselves and the physical characteristics are largely used by recipients to 'choose' between one donor and another. It might, for example, be more appealing for a recipient to select a donor with specific interests, athletic ability or philosophical beliefs.

But with regard to screening of medical and genetic criteria, all donors will be screened equally.