Donor Conception Counselling

Our practitioners are experienced in providing implications counselling for egg, sperm and embryo donation.  If you wish to become a donor, or you need to use a donor to conceive, you may benefit from the opportunity to speak to a counsellor who is fully independent from any fertility clinic. We can support you through the complex decision making process required to determine if donor treatment is right for you and your family. 

If you require mandated implications counselling prior to the commencement of treatment utilising donated gametes, we understand the legislative requirements for donor treatment across all Australian jurisdictions, and our counselling practices are fully compliant with the Practice Guidelines enforced by NHMRC, RTAC and ANZICA.

We will require a minimum of two sessions of counselling for both donors and recipients. For known donations, a joint session involving all parties will be undertaken as part of the two sessions.  Further sessions can be made available for any party wanting this or at the discretion of the counsellor where issues may still require addressing. A “cooling off” period may be helpful for all parties before signing consent and proceeding to treatment to allow thorough consideration of the issues raised in counselling (in some jurisdictions this is a legislative requirement as is post cooling off period final counselling review).

Counselling in relation to the donation/receipt of donated eggs, sperm or embryos will include discussion of:

• Decision-making re: whether to us a known or identity-release (clinic recruited) donor.

• motivations of the donor and recipients in the context of their family and social history

• recipients’ and donors’ feelings about non-genetic parenting

• examination of the risks and benefits of donation

• short and long-term consequences for all parties concerned, including that the donation may result in an adverse outcome

• exploration of expectations of all parties (if known donation) regarding relationship between recipient(s) and donor and donor conceived child and donor

• exploration of the acknowledged importance that donor information be accessible for any donor conceived person and the future availability of donors for information about identity attitudes to telling others, plans to disclose donor conception to children and how to do this the donor-conceived child’s potential interest in knowing more about the donor and potentially having contact

• relevant federal and state legislation and RTAC/NHMRC guidelines.

When you contact us to book in for donor conception counselling, our administration staff will ask for some specific information to ensure you are booked in for the most suitable type of counselling for your situation. They will:

• Check whether you need mandated donor counselling (rather than seeking support to help cope with the experience of infertility).

• Confirm your state (as legislation is different in different locations)

• Ask for the name of your fertility clinic and treating doctor.

• Check whether you will need counselling egg, sperm or embryo donation.

• Check whether you will be using a clinic (anonymous) donor, or you have a known donor (there are different counselling requirements/processes in place depending on this). Click here to learn about the Clinic Donor Counselling process and click here to learn about the Known Donor Counselling Process.

This information is critical as it ensure that you are booked in for the the process runs smoothly, and our counsellor is properly prepared for your session.