'Daddy ran out of tadpoles': how parents tell their children that they are donor conceived, and what their 7-year-olds understand.
BACKGROUND
The present study explored the process of disclosure in gamete donation families in the UK.


METHODS
Interviews were conducted with 23 mothers and 15 fathers who had told their 7-year-old child about the nature of their conception. Twelve children were interviewed about what they understood and how they felt about their donor conception (DC).


RESULTS
The majority of families had disclosed by the age of four and mothers were found to be the main disclosers. Although some parents expressed concerns about the disclosure, the majority did not experience difficulties. No child responded to disclosure in a negative way. Seven-year-old children showed little understanding of their DC, despite parents starting the process of disclosure before the age of four.


CONCLUSIONS
In spite of mothers' concerns about disclosing DC to their children, children responded to disclosure in a neutral way and most parents did not find disclosure to be problematic.
Blake
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L
Faculty of Politics, Psychology, Sociology and International Studies, Centre for Family Research, Free School Lane, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3RF, UK. lb377@cam.ac.uk
Casey
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Readings
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Jadva
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Golombok
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D000328:Adult; D053713:Azoospermia / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D032882:Comprehension; D030881:Disclosure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007316:Insemination, Artificial, Heterologous / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010287:Parent-Child Relations