Research shows that assisted reproduction does not diminish a child’s wellbeing

After 20 years of research, the most extensive longitudinal study to date concluded that children born through assisted reproduction with no genetic connection to their parents (through egg or sperm donation or surrogacy) have the same levels of wellbeing and similar relationships with their families as children born naturally. The study also found that these children are better adjusted if their parents tell them about their biological origins at around age seven than those who are told later in life or not at all.

The peer-reviewed article in Developmental Psychology validated the conclusions of six periodic reports of a 20-year monitoring process that started when the children were a year old. Standardized questionnaires were answered by the parents of 117 families and by the children themselves, wherever possible. Sixty-five children were born from sperm/egg donations or surrogacy, and 52 were born naturally. A primary objective of the study was to determine if the lack of a genetic link with parents has any effect on the children’s emotional development. The researchers found no significant differences between the two groups of children as they grew and matured to age 20.

“Despite concerns, families with children born through third-party assisted reproduction do well in adulthood,” said Susan Golombok, a professor emerita who led the study and former director of the Centre for Family Research at the University of Cambridge in the UK.

One aim of the research was to determine if the problems frequently seen in adopted adolescents also develop in children born through assisted reproduction. The study explains that greater conflict has been observed between parents and adopted adolescents than between parents and non-adopted adolescents. In addition, poor communication about adoption has been associated with more negative relationships between adoptive parents and their children.

Montse Lapastora, director of Psicoveritas (a Spanish center specializing in psychology and adoption) says that when a child gains abstract thinking and understands what it means to be adopted, “she also understands that another family abandoned her,” which can sometimes lead to aggressive behavior.

The UK study did not observe this behavior in children born through assisted reproduction with genetic material from third parties. However, the study’s conclusions are not definitive since the researchers recognize the limitations of their small sample size. Gloria Bellido, a child psychologist and member of the Spanish Association for Clinical Psychology (ANPIR), believes that although the study is interesting, the small sample size means that a meta-analysis based on much more research is needed to validate its conclusions. “This study was conducted under very specific conditions and limited to one country, the United Kingdom,” she says.

Bellido points to another limitation of the UK study: over the years, about 20 families dropped out, which is normal for lengthy, longitudinal studies. Most of those who dropped out refused to tell their children about their biological origins. Had these families remained throughout the study, its conclusions might have been different. “The conclusion that knowing your origins is important for mental health is helpful information and validates what we observe in clinical settings. Family secrets are very pernicious, and honest communication in families benefits the mental health of children and adults,” says Bellido.

“My dad is my dad and my mom is my mom”

The article in Developmental Psychology includes quotes from some of the young people who took part in the study, revealing that their biological origins are not much of a concern. “It doesn’t faze me. People are born in different ways and if I was born a little different, that’s fine. I understand,” said one. “My dad is my dad and my mom is my mom. I’ve never thought they weren’t, so I don’t really care,” said another. Some even claimed it makes them feel special. “I think it’s amazing — everything about it is absolutely amazing. I have nothing negative to say about it.”

The study questionnaires were only filled out by families who told their children about their origins and didn’t drop out of the study. Of these, only 42% of those born from sperm donations were told about it before the age of 20, compared to 88% for egg donation and 100% for surrogacy. Mothers who received egg donations reported less positive family relationships than sperm donation recipients did. The study suggests that this may be because some mothers felt insecure about the lack of a genetic connection with their children. But this was not reflected in their children’s perceptions of the quality of family relationships.

However, families with children born from sperm donations reported poorer family communication than those with children conceived by egg donation. “This could be explained by the greater secrecy surrounding sperm donation than egg donation, sometimes driven by a greater reluctance by fathers to disclose to their children that they are not a genetic parent, and less willingness to talk about it after telling the children,” said the study.

As for surrogacy, Bellido said, “Disclosing biological origins has a far greater impact on the mental health of the [surrogate] mothers than on the children.”

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition