Donor conceived

Prior to receiving information, you will be offered an appointment with a DCIS counsellor to provide information and support. 

This appointment is mandatory if you are receiving identifying information. The service is confidential.

The information and support session will discuss:

• what you hope will be the outcome of making the application
• what donor information can be provided to you depending on when you were conceived
• possible implications of receiving the information for you, your family, the donor and the people they are close to
• the options of contacting a donor if they have consented to contact, and potential positive or negative outcomes of contact with the donor
• confidentiality requirements for treating the information provided sensitively and respectfully
• where and how to access further support if you require it
• whether you would like follow-up from a counsellor after you have received the donor’s identifying information.

Regardless of when you were born, DCIS can check sources of information and determine if there is relevant data that can legally be provided to you. 

The treatment register

The WA Department of Health holds records of fertility treatments from April 1993 onwards. Current legislation enables access to non-identifying information held regarding treatment after 1993. Donor conceived people can apply for the identity of their donor if they were conceived on or after 1 December 2004 and they have turned 16 years of age.  

You can apply for non-identifying information about donors and siblings conceived after 1993 at any time.  Identity checks and processing times of several weeks apply when information requests are made.

Fertility clinics

Donor recipient parents or donors can apply direct to the fertility clinic where their treatment or donation occurred for donor code(s) and non-identifying information.

Fertility clinics have been required to keep records from 1993 onwards. In some instances, clinics may have kept records for treatments that occurred prior to 1993, although they were not legally required to do so, as this was their usual practice as a health service.  Unfortunately, some clinics have closed, and records may have been destroyed or are not available. 

When the Department retrieves information from the treatment register, this information is sent to the fertility clinic for verification prior to the report being generated for DCIS.

The DCIS register history

From 2002 - 2018 the WA Department of Health maintained a voluntary register of donors, donor conceived people and donor recipient parents who wished to consent to share their information outside of the legislative framework.  Between 2018 and 2022 Jigsaw DNA Connect (a non-government organisation) was contracted by the Department to manage individual applications to match and connect people with their relatives connected by the same donor. 

This service is now operated by DCIS and will work to connect historical information with people who consent and have applied to DCIS.  No information has been deleted from the previous registers.  However, DCIS will require people to confirm their identity or update their consent preferences.

Contact between donor related people can be arranged by mutual consent, however confidentiality requirements of the legislation still apply.

If two people who are related through a donor and have both registered their details, then they are considered a ‘match’. When this happens, DCIS will attempt to confirm the match of information through the Treatment Register and the fertility clinic where the treatment was undertaken.  Once this has been confirmed, DCIS will contact both parties and discuss with them which details (non-identifying or identifying) they consent in writing to share about themselves with the other specified party/s. 

An appointment is offered to provide information to the DCIS applicant. During this appointment the counsellor will ensure that parties consider the implications of sharing information, or potentially making email, phone or face-to-face contact. How people wish to progress a potential relationship is also discussed.  It is important to note that some people are eager to meet the other person, and some are reluctant or do not want contact. 

The counselling service offered by DCIS can be provided face-to-face, by video or phone.  Follow up appointments to discuss the outcomes of any contact with another party can also be provided.

When a match can’t be confirmed

If the individuals who registered their details were conceived prior to 1993, DCIS will not be able to confirm a match.  This is because the details are not held within the Department’s Treatment Register and cannot be verified.

If this situation occurs, DCIS will contact the applicant to discuss what this means and possible future actions that may be taken.

When no information exists

It can be very difficult for donor conceived people who were conceived prior to 1993 when no records were kept. 

Fertility clinics are the primary source of information. Your parent will be able to access information about their donor code and treatment from the clinic.  On application, DCIS will ask the Department to search all available data sources and a report will be generated.  However, for some people, it will confirm that no information is held and potentially; no current matches are possible through DCIS register.

Individual applicants will be given the option to receive their report in person, by phone, post or email. Knowing that it can be difficult, DCIS recommend that donor conceived people consider coming in person to this appointment and bring a support person.

DCIS counsellors will discuss the implications and impact of this report and what the available next steps may be. 

It is still a useful process to apply and add your details to the DCIS register – as a match may be made at a time in the future.

DCIS is aware that at various points along the journey, issues may arise for donor conceived people, and you may benefit from a dedicated therapeutic conversation with a suitable professional.  DCIS employs social workers who have an excellent understanding of the issues affecting donor conceived people and their families, who are available for brief counselling interventions and referrals to other services.  Please contact DCIS to make an appointment.

If I was born from a treatment prior to April 1993, what are my options for receiving information?

Fertility clinics are the primary source of information.  It is unlikely that the WA Department of Health will have information about people receiving treatment in WA before April 1993. For every DCIS application, the information that is held by the WA Department of Health will be searched and the result of the search will be provided.  In some instances, additional members of a family group may have had treatment after 1993.  If this is the case, it is possible that non-identifying sibling information can be provided to you at your request.

If there is no consent for me to receive my donor’s identifying information, what options are available to me?

Contact without consent is not recommended.  Many people donated prior to, or under legislation that protected their anonymity, and would have donated with the expectation that they are not contacted.  Amendments to the Human Reproductive Technology Act enables some people to access identifying information once they turn 16 (if conceived on or after 1 December 2004). DCIS is encouraging as many donors as possible to register their preference for contact so that this decision can be shared with you when you apply to DCIS.

Although you can look for any publicly available information about the donor, be aware that it is difficult through many social media platforms to be certain of someone’s correct identity. It is very important for you to understand that reaching out to someone if you are unsure if they are the right person, or without knowing their contact preferences may cause unwanted distress

Non-identifying information about a donor or siblings can still be provided if it is available.

If my donor does not wish to have contact with me, what are my options?

Contact without consent is not recommended.  Many people donated prior to, or under legislation that protected their anonymity, and would have donated with the expectation that they are not contacted. While amendments to the Human Reproductive Technology Act enables some people to access identifying information once they turn 16 (if conceived on or after 1 December 2004) this doesn’t automatically confer a right to contact your donor.  DCIS is encouraging as many donors as possible to register their preference for contact so that this decision can be shared with you when you apply to DCIS.

Although you can look for any publicly available information about the donor, be aware that it is difficult through many social media platforms to be certain of someone’s correct identity. It is very important for you to understand that reaching out to someone if you are unsure if they are the right person, or without knowing their contact preferences may cause unwanted distress. You are required to sign a confidentiality agreement that you will not share information, and will respect the donor’s wishes regarding contact, prior to receiving the information about the donor.

Non-identifying information about a donor or siblings can still be provided if it is available.

If I was born before 1993, does the WA Department of Health recommend I take a home DNA/Ancestry DNA test?

The WA Department of Health is unable to recommend any medical testing outside of the usual medical pathways. Ancestry DNA sites can identify people with whom you share DNA and many donor conceived people have found matched relatives via this means. Unfortunately, this pathway still creates the possibility that a person will be identified as a donor or donor conceived without their knowledge or consent. This can cause significant distress and is a breach of the legislation.

Will I be informed if any of my donor siblings have died?

Non-identifying information regarding donor siblings will not include information about people who have subsequently died.