A new website, AnonymousUs.org has been launched with the aim of inviting anyone and everyone involved in reproductive technologies, but especially persons born via egg or sperm donation, to write about their experiences and opinions- anonymously.

Alana S., a 24-year-old woman from San Francisco, who was donor-conceived, founded the site as a “tool for better decision-making so that parents and policy-makers aren’t relying solely on biased endorsements from clinics and vendors.”

Alana recognises that many donor-conceived adults may wish to improve practices and policies, but fear publicity or conflicts of loyalty with their families. They may have ugly family secrets. “Many of us want to speak about our pain, but we don’t want our faces on camera or to hurt our parents.”

“Not all the kids are doing all right,” she says. She describes the website as “a place for all participants in the fertility industry to share their own truths in a way that retains dignity and privacy for our loved ones, while also sharing valuable perspectives and life experiences”.

In the US, it is estimated that every year 30,000-60,000 children are born through the use of sperm donation. While the fertility industry makes $3.3 billion annually, little is known about the experiences of these children and what kind of adults they grow up to be.

The Anonymous Us project aims to be a safety zone for real and honest opinions about reproductive technologies and family fragmentation.

The mission of Anonymous Us is “to share the experiences of voluntary and involuntary participants in these technologies, while preserving the dignity and privacy of the story-tellers and their loved ones.”

Alana recognises that many donor-conceived adults may wish to improve practices and policies, but fear publicity or conflicts of loyalty with their families. They may have ugly family secrets. “Many of us want to speak about our pain, but we don’t want our faces on camera or to hurt our parents.”

“Not all the kids are doing all right,” she says. She describes the website as “a place for all participants in the fertility industry to share their own truths in a way that retains dignity and privacy for our loved ones, while also sharing valuable perspectives and life experiences”.

In the US, it is estimated that every year 30,000-60,000 children are born through the use of sperm donation. While the fertility industry makes $3.3 billion annually, little is known about the experiences of these children and what kind of adults they grow up to be.

The Anonymous Us project aims to be a safety zone for real and honest opinions about reproductive technologies and family fragmentation.

The mission of Anonymous Us is “to share the experiences of voluntary and involuntary participants in these technologies, while preserving the dignity and privacy of the story-tellers and their loved ones.”