Known, anonymous or identity-release egg donor: what should you choose?

What do known, anonymous and identity-release mean?

The three terms describe who knows the egg donor's identity, and when.

• Known donor, also called a directed donor. Someone you already know or choose to meet, such as a sister, cousin or friend. You know who she is from the start, and she knows who you are.
• Anonymous donor. The program withholds her identity from you, and yours from her. You see a profile, often with photos and a health history, but not her name.
• Identity-release donor, also called open-ID. Anonymous during the donation, but she agrees in writing that her identity can be given to the child, usually at age 18, if the child asks.

All three are legal in the US. Your choice affects the legal agreement, the donor's screening path, and what your child can learn later.

Why is true anonymity no longer realistic?

Because of consumer DNA testing. Millions of people have taken tests from consumer genetics companies, and those databases match relatives. A donor-conceived adult who takes a test may be matched with the donor herself, or with her cousins or siblings, and work out who she is from there. The donor does not have to take a test herself.

That means a program can promise to withhold a donor's name. It cannot promise that her identity will stay hidden for life. Agencies now counsel donors and parents that a DNA test by the child can identify the donor.

Laws are moving in the same direction. Colorado law, in effect since January 1, 2025, requires egg and sperm donors in the state to agree that their identity can be disclosed to the child at age 18. Reviewed by counsel. Several countries outside the US have ended anonymous donation altogether. Reviewed by counsel.

This is why most programs now recommend at least an identity-release arrangement. PLS recommends at least identity-release for every family using an egg donor. Identity-release replaces a promise no one can keep with one that can be: your child can learn who the donor is, through an orderly process, as an adult.

What does ASRM advise about disclosure to children?

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine's Ethics Committee advises disclosure. In its opinion "Informing offspring of their conception by gamete or embryo donation" (2018), the committee strongly encourages parents to tell children that they were conceived with donated eggs, sperm or embryos.

The reasons given are practical as well as ethical:

• Medical history. Your child's genetic history includes the donor's. Knowing that helps your child and their doctors.
• Trust. Children who learn the truth early, in a simple story told at home, tend to absorb it as part of who they are. Learning it as an adult, or by accident, is harder.
• DNA testing. Your child may find out anyway. It is better that they hear it from you.

Disclosure is a separate decision from identity. You can tell your child they were donor-conceived whichever arrangement you choose. Identity-release and known donation simply give your child somewhere to go with the next question.

Many parents start with a simple age-appropriate story in the preschool years and add detail over time. A counselor who works with donor-conceived families can help you plan what to say.

What extra steps does a known donor need?

A known donor goes through the same medical and FDA screening as any donor, plus steps that protect everyone's relationships.

1. FDA infectious disease screening, timed close to the retrieval, the same as for any donor.
2. Medical and genetic screening by your clinic, including carrier screening on a panel that matches the sperm provider's.
3. A psychological consult for her, and counseling for you. The consult covers how she sees her role, what your child will be told, how family events will feel, and what happens if relationships change.
4. Her own independent attorney. She must not share your lawyer. The agreement sets out that you are the parents, what contact she will have, and how disclosure will be handled.
5. An age check. Many clinics set an upper age limit for directed donors. A sister in her late thirties may not qualify. Ask before anyone is invited to donate.

Compensation is optional for a known donor. Some families cover her costs and time; some offer standard compensation. The agreement says which.

For two dads, a relative of the non-genetic partner is a common known donor, so both families are represented genetically. See choosing an egg donor as gay dads.

How do the three options differ in cost and legal work?

Known donors usually cost less in compensation, sometimes nothing. They usually cost more in counseling and legal time, because the agreement has to cover an ongoing relationship. You pay for her attorney as well as your own.

Anonymous and identity-release donors cost about the same as each other. Compensation is usually $6,000 to $20,000, higher for in-demand or proven donors, paid through an independent licensed escrow agent. The identity-release terms add a clause to the agreement, not a separate process.

The PLS egg donation match fee is $11,000, or $8,500 when bundled with surrogacy. Whether the same fee applies when you bring a known donor is to be confirmed with Nancy.

In every arrangement, screening and IVF costs are paid to your clinic, and each side has independent counsel. For what the medical and FDA screening includes, see egg donor screening.

How do donor sibling registries fit in?

A donor sibling registry lets donor-conceived people, their parents and sometimes donors find each other by donor number. One widely used registry is the Donor Sibling Registry, a nonprofit open to families from any program. Some sperm banks and egg donor programs also run their own.

Registries matter because one donor can help several families. Your child may have genetic half-siblings in other households. Some families want to know them, and some do not. A registry lets everyone choose.

Registries fit any of the three arrangements:

• Anonymous. Families can connect with each other, and with the donor if she joins, without the program releasing her identity.
• Identity-release. A registry can link families before the child turns 18.
• Known. Less needed for the donor, but useful if she has donated to more than one family.

Ask your program how many families a donor has helped, and whether it limits that number.

How does PLS document the arrangement?

Nancy Block, RN, has run egg donation matching since 2000. She founded The Center for Egg Options Illinois that year and ran it for 15 years before founding PLS in 2017. She is a former President of SEEDS, the Society for Ethics in Egg Donation and Surrogacy.

For every donor arrangement, PLS:

1. Records the arrangement in writing. Known, anonymous or identity-release is agreed and recorded before screening starts.
2. Refers each side to independent counsel. PLS does not employ attorneys. The donor and the intended parents each have their own.
3. Tracks screening status. You see what is complete and what is pending for each donor.
4. Routes compensation through independent escrow. PLS never holds donor or parent funds.
5. Keeps the donor profile for your child. PLS keeps the donor profile and the identity-release terms on file so they are available when your child asks.

For how to weigh donors on medical and personal criteria, see how to choose an egg donor. For the full program, see the egg donor program.

Sources

• American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), Ethics Committee opinion, "Informing offspring of their conception by gamete or embryo donation." Year to be confirmed (2018).
• US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), donor eligibility rules (21 CFR Part 1271).
• SEEDS, Society for Ethics in Egg Donation and Surrogacy.
• Donor Sibling Registry.