"Obligated aliens": recognizing sperm donors' ethical obligation to disclose genetic information

Sperm donor attitudes and experiences with direct-to-consumer genetic testing

Objective

To identify factors influencing sperm donor willingness to participate in direct-to-consumer genetic testing, comfort with sharing genetically identifiable data in commercial genetic testing databases, and likelihood to donate sperm again.

Design

Cross-sectional online anonymous survey.

Setting

Multicenter, 2 large American sperm banks from July 1, 2020 to July10, 2021.

Patients

Sperm donors from 1980 to 2020.

Interventions

None.

Main outcome measures

Associations between donor demographic characteristics, donation history, and attitudes toward direct-to-consumer genetic testing.

Results

A total of 396 donors completed the survey. Most donations (61.5%) occurred from 2010 to 2020, and 34.3% were nonidentified donations. Nonidentified donors were less comfortable with their genetic data being shared than open-identity donors (25.4% vs. 43.8%) and were less likely than open-identity donors to donate sperm again (43.3% vs. 72.1%). Donors who donated after the inception of direct-to-consumer genetic testing in 2007 were less likely to participate in commercial genetic testing than those who donated before 2007 (25.8% vs. 37.1%). Most donors (87.4%) have disclosed their donation(s) to current partners, but fewer have disclosed them to their families (56.6%) or children (30.5%). Of the donors who had been contacted by donor-conceived persons, 79.5% were identified via direct-to-consumer genetic testing. Overall, 61.1% of donors would donate again regardless of direct-to-consumer genetic testing.

Conclusions

Direct-to-consumer genetic testing is playing a dynamic role in sperm donor identification, but donors seem willing to donate again. Implication counseling regarding future linkage and contact from donor-conceived persons needs to be standardized for potential donors before donation.