‘TELL IVF CHILDREN TRUTH’
http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-13311879,00.html
Children conceived with donor sperm should be told when they are as young as three, according to a new study.
Researchers warn that IVF children may suffer psychological damage if they discover the truth of their origins later in life.
Since 1991, 25,000 babies have been conceived using donor sperm.
For the first time British researchers have looked at the psychological impact on children of being told that they were born through fertility treatment.
Report author Professor Eric Blyth at the Royal College of Surgeons said: “We discovered that parents were telling children as young as three, obviously in a way the child could understand.
“And we found that both were able to deal with the situation.
“There was no evidence that their relationships were damaged.”
The study will be discussed at a meeting of the Human Fertility and Embryology Authority.
Other research earlier this year suggested that infertility remains a social taboo for many.
Only half of all infertile couples are willing to tell their children the truth.