Before, During and Beyond
Understanding the Psychosocial Support Needs of People Building Families Through Donor Conception
Findings report from our Big Donor Conception Survey 2025/26, led and published by Paths to Parenthub
Firstly, thank you.
To everyone who took part in the Big Donor Conception Survey 2025/26: this report exists because of you. Over 1,100 people shared their experiences, their challenges, their grief and their joy. What you told us matters, and we have done our best to honour it.
This is the largest community-led survey of its kind. 1,103 respondents. 71 questions. Real stories, real data, and clear evidence that the psychosocial needs of donor conception families extend far beyond the clinical pathway.
What’s inside
The report covers every stage of the journey, from the moment someone first considers donor conception, through treatment, pregnancy and into the parenting years that follow. You’ll find:
What people found most challenging, and what actually helped
Why peer connection made the difference others couldn't
What families need when it comes to talking to their children
The long-term reality of donor sibling relationships
What the data says about clinical support, and where the gaps are
The evidence that usualisation is working, and how much further there is to go
Three things that might surprise you
%
Only 10% of people were given access to a support platform or community by their clinic, yet for those who found one, it made all the difference.
%
32% said the support they received from their clinic was not adequate for their needs. Many of those who said it was adequate had found additional support themselves. Without it, the clinic offering alone would not have been enough.
%
60% say their comfort with donor conception has grown significantly over time, which means it wasn’t there at the start. Comfort is not a given. It is built, with the right support around you.
Download the report
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