Why parents should be open with kids about donor conception

Plus more health news | Email not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( [Health Matters]( [Keeping donor conception a secret could hurt kids]( By Haley Weiss Health Reporter Doctors used to recommend that parents who used donor sperm or eggs keep their kids' conception a secret from them, fearing the truth would confuse or even psychologically harm them. But as donor-conceived kids have grown up, advocates within that community have argued that this is far from the healthiest course of action. Their message is validated by a new study, which presents the first-ever longitudinal data on the family relationships of children conceived via third-party assisted reproduction (donor eggs or sperm, or surrogacy). The 20-year study found that it’s always better for family relationships to tell children where they come from early on. Here's what else they learned about how and when to have these conversations: - Before age seven is the best time. When asked as adults, half of participants who had been told after age seven that they were donor-conceived reported problems in family relationships, compared to just 12% of participants who’d been told before age seven. - Insecurity about having assisted-reproduction children can lead to further psychological harm. Stressing that your child will someday reject you as their parent can sometimes do more damage to family relationships than children’s own insecure feelings about their origins. - Parents who used donor sperm are less likely to disclose to their kids than parents who used a donor egg. Stigma around male infertility may be to blame. [READ MORE]( Share This Story What Else to Read [Supreme Court Keeps the FDA’s Abortion Pill Rules in Place for Now]( By MARK SHERMAN and JESSICA GRESKO/AP The Justice Department and the maker of mifepristone had filed requests after an appeals court tightened rules around the pill. [Read More »]( [Citizen Scientists Are Driving Medical Research. Now They Need A Constitution]( By Amy Dockser Marcus Professional scientists and citizen scientists can work together as equal partners to identify and develop potential treatments for diseases. [Read More »]( [Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Signs 6-Week Abortion Ban Into Law]( By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE/AP It will only take effect if the state’s 15-week ban is upheld in a legal challenge before the state Supreme Court. [Read More »]( [What to Know About Infusion Therapy for IBD]( By Markham Heid A look at how infusion therapies work, what’s on the horizon, and who might be a candidate. [Read More »]( [The Truth About Fasting and Type 2 Diabetes]( By Markham Heid With expert oversight, the eating plan can be safe for some, but there are risks to keep in mind. [Read More »]( AN EXPERT VOICE "Negative answers to some questions are premature. When the human genome was first sequenced, they found all this DNA that didn't seem to do anything. Since then, things keep getting found about [the uses of] what used to be called junk DNA." —Thomas Wehr, scientist emeritus at the National Institute of Mental Health --------------------------------------------------------------- If you were forwarded this and want to sign up to receive it daily, [click here](. Today's newsletter was written by Haley Weiss and Jeffrey Kluger, and edited by Mandy Oaklander. [Want more from TIME? Sign up for our other newsletters.]( [Subscribe to TIME]( TIME may receive compensation for some links to products and services in this email. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Connect with TIME via [Facebook]( | [Twitter]( | [Newsletters]( [UNSUBSCRIBE]( [PRIVACY POLICY]( [YOUR CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS]( TIME Customer Service, P.O. Box 37508, Boone, IA 50037-0508 Questions? Contact health@time.com Copyright © 2023 TIME USA, LLC. All rights reserved.