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Chapter 9 - Counseling Recipients of Nonidentified Donor Gametes

from III - Third Party Reproduction: Assessment and Preparation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 November 2022

By
Patricia Sachs  and
Carol Toll
Edited by
Sharon N. Covington
Sharon N. Covington
Affiliation:
Shady Grove Fertility, Rockville, MD
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Summary

The recipient interview is primarily psycho-educational in nature. The fertility counselor strives to understand the recipients’ family building goals and help them frame their unique “family story.” Preparation for disclosure to the potential child has become increasingly important, due to the technological and genetic impact on donor anonymity and growing openness. Societal changes have brought about expansion in the types of recipients seeking treatment, as well as greater diversity in the cultural background of both donors and recipients. The recent worldwide pandemic has also caused an increase in virtual counseling.Fertility counselors need to be open and flexible while integrating these changes into our work with recipients. Fertility counselors are essential not only at the outset of the recipient journey, but are increasingly seen as a valuable lifelong resource to be consulted at different stages in the experience of being a donor-conceived family.

Keywords

fertility counselingrecipient counselingunknown donorde-identified donordisclosureanonymitydiversitycultural backgroundpsychoeducationfamily story
Type
Chapter
Information
Fertility Counseling: Clinical Guide , pp. 97 - 105
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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References

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