D
iscussing the ‘birds and bees’ can be a little
daunting for any parent. For a growing number of
parents, though, there are additional layers to the
reproductive story. Explaining to your child that
they were conceived using In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) in a
laboratory, and in some cases with a donor, adds a whole
other dimension to the facts of life discussion. For some IVF
parents it can be difficult to know how to broach a topic that
they themselves may find hard to revisit – infertility is a painful
journey. However, there are tips and tools that can help
both parents and children get comfortable with discussing
assisted conception.
So why discuss the method of conception at all? Historically
it was thought best to shroud assisted conception in secrecy.
Should IVF parents be open with their children about
how they were conceived?
Karen Sherwood
asks
IVF families and for experts their opinion
Birds
&
Bees
2.0
It’s a tough secret for a parent to keep their whole life
though, and experience shows that whilst children tend to
readily assimilate information about their conception, it can
be confronting for adults to discover they were conceived
in a batch of embryos, particularly if a donor was involved.
Overheard and misunderstood conversations could cause a
child to worry about their own fertility, about their biological
heritage if a donor was used, or about lost or destroyed
embryos. Tracey Sainsbury, a fertility counsellor accredited by
the British Infertility Counselling Association (BICA) and senior
fertility counsellor and research officer at the London Women's
Clinic says, “Trust develops within a relationship from a very
young age. We recommend openness from an early stage to
promote a positive sense of identity for any child conceived
November 2016
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