Are you thinking about starting a family through sperm donation? Or maybe you're considering becoming a donor to help others create families? Understanding your options is really important, especially when it comes to Open Identity donation. This type of donation lets children learn about their biological origins when they grow up, while still respecting everyone's privacy today. 

What It Means to Be an Open ID Sperm Donor

An Open Identity sperm donor (also called an "Open ID", "identity-release" or “non-anonymous” sperm donor) is someone who agrees that children born from their donation can learn who they are when those children become adults, usually at age 18. This means the donor is okay with possible future contact with their biological children. Open Identity donors share their complete medical history and personal information during the donation process, knowing that their identifying details will be available to their offspring later on.

Open vs. Anonymous Sperm Donation

The main difference between these two types of donation is about future contact:

Anonymous Donation: The donor stays completely unknown. Children born this way will never be able to learn who their biological father is. They usually only get basic medical history and general information like height, eye color, and education level.

Open Identity Donation: The donor agrees that when the child grows up, they can learn the donor's identity and possibly make contact. This creates a chance for future communication between donors and their biological children, if both want to connect.

Both types of donation involve thorough medical testing and health screening. Choosing between anonymous and open donation is a personal decision that depends on what you think is important for family building and what rights children should have to information about where they come from.

What Open ID Sperm Donation Means for the Donor

If you become an Open Identity donor, here's what you should think about:

You need to be comfortable with the idea that biological children might contact you someday. This could happen many years from now, so think about how you might feel about this at different points in your life.

You'll also need to keep the sperm bank or clinic updated with your contact information over time. This helps make sure children can find you when they grow up and ask for information.

Finally, you get to decide what kind of relationship, if any, you want with the donor-conceived people who contact you. The agreement only guarantees they can learn who you are - not that you have to have any specific type of relationship.

Many sperm donors feel good knowing they've helped create families while also respecting a child's natural desire to understand where they come from.

What Open ID Sperm Donation Means for the Children

Children born through Open ID sperm donation get several important benefits:

They have the choice to learn about their biological father when they become adults. This information can help them better understand their genetic background, health history, and personal identity.

They can ask questions that many donor-conceived people naturally wonder about, like "Why did you decide to become a donor?" or "Do we share any personality traits or interests?"

They avoid the frustration that some donor-conceived people feel when they can't find any information about their biological origins.

Research shows that many donor-conceived people value having access to information about their donors, even if they don't want ongoing contact.

Why Choose Open ID Donation?

Many families and donors are picking the Open ID option because:

• It respects a child's right to know about their biological origins
• It recognizes that being curious about genetic connections is natural and healthy
• It allows for more honesty within families created through donation
• It reduces secrets that can sometimes cause family stress

Fertility professionals now recognize that knowing about where you come from is important for many people's sense of who they are. Open identity sperm donation has become increasingly popular as it balances the needs of donors, recipients, and donor-conceived individuals, allowing for potential future contact while maintaining appropriate boundaries and expectations.

How Our Program Works

Our sperm donation program aims to create good outcomes for everyone involved. We start by carefully screening all potential donors. This includes thorough medical tests, checking for genetic conditions, talking with psychologists, and personal interviews to make sure we only accept the best donors. In fact, only about 5% of men who apply actually get accepted into our program.

For families looking for a donor, we provide detailed profiles that include complete health information, what the donor looks like, their education, personality traits, childhood pictures, and personal essays they've written. All this information helps families make choices that feel right for them. Every donor in our program is an Open ID donor, which means they've agreed that any children born from their donation can learn who they are when the children turn 18.

Want to learn more about our Open ID sperm donor program? Contact us today to talk about your options as either a potential donor or a recipient family.