In this pre-recorded session, Hayley welcomed Professor Lucy Frith from the University of Manchester. Lucy is Professor of Bioethics and Health Research at the Centre for Social Ethics and Policy, School of Law, University of Manchester, and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS). Having researched gamete and embryo donation for over 20 years with a special focus on information sharing, she recently completed an ESRC grant on direct-to-consumer genetic testing and donor conception. Outlining the project’s insights, Lucy explains how the rise of affordable commercial DNA tests, such as Ancestry and 23andMe, significantly affects the donor-conceived community. Drawing on extensive research, she highlights key findings, including how individuals accidentally discover they are donor-conceived through home DNA kits, and how donors can be identified through shared genetic relatives even if they have never personally registered on a DNA site. She also explores the complex considerations surrounding parental choices, contrasting the decision to test young children against waiting until adulthood, alongside privacy concerns regarding commercial data sharing. Lucy also introduced the free guides and resources developed by the research team to help prospective parents, donors, and donor-conceived individuals navigate commercial DNA testing with informed confidence – we’ll be adding these to the platform shortly.