Donor Conception Assessment & Counselling
Helping You Be Informed and Emotionally Ready for Every Path To Parenthood
You Have Options. We Help You Explore Them with Care.
If you’re exploring sperm donation, egg donation, embryo donation, or surrogacy, there’s probably a lot on your mind.
Whether you’re building your family as a same-sex couple, a single parent by choice, or with the help of a donor or surrogate for medical reasons, assisted reproductive technology can bring up a wide mix of emotions.
Hope. Relief. Grief. Uncertainty. Maybe even a bit of all of it at once.
You might be asking yourself:
Are we emotionally ready for this step?
- How will this affect our future donor-conceived child?
- What will our family story look like and how do we talk about it?
- Will I bond with a baby that isn’t genetically mine?
- What will we tell our child?
- What if others don’t understand our decision?
This is exactly what donor conception assessment and counselling is here for: to help you process, prepare, and move forward with confidence.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, our fertility counselling services are here to help you work through the grief, stress, and big questions that often come with considering using donor eggs, sperm, or embryos.
What Is Donor Conception Assessment?
If your fertility clinic has referred you for a psychological assessment, don’t worry, this isn’t a test. It’s a conversation.
It’s especially helpful if:
- You’re preparing to use a known or anonymous donor
- You’re working with a gestational carrier or surrogate
- You’re a donor or recipient, or the partner of someone who is
- You’re pursuing parenthood as a same-sex couple or single parent and want to reflect on the unique aspects of your journey.
The goal is to give you a chance to reflect on:
- How you’re feeling about using donor gametes
- What this step means for your identity and your future
- How you might talk to your future child about their story
- Any concerns, fears, or questions that are coming up
What To Expect in a Donor Conception Assessment
Session Details
These assessments are often required before treatment moves forward, but more importantly, they offer a chance to pause, process, and emotionally prepare.
Most fertility clinics require a psychological evaluation as part of their donor or surrogacy protocol.
We provide
- A 90-minute clinical assessment
- A summary letter or report for your clinic, if requested
- A space to explore your readiness, motivations, and expectations
What We’ll Cover
You don’t have to have it all figured out. You might feel a mix of emotions: hope, sadness, fear, guilt, relief. That’s normal.
Here’s what we often explore together:
- The meaning of parenthood without a genetic connection
- What it feels like to build your family in a different way
- Grieving the family path, you imagined while accepting a new one
- Whether to choose a known donor or an anonymous donor
- How to approach openness, boundaries, and information about the donor
- How this decision might affect your partner, your future child, or your extended family
- What feels right for you, not just medically, but also emotionally
- Supporting each other as a couple with different emotions or coping styles
- Feeling informed to make decisions as LGBTQ+ parents
- Address the emotional aspects of non-biological parenting for intended parents
This is a safe space to slow down, think things through, and feel supported.
We also support couples who are experiencing different emotional responses to donor conception. If you’re feeling disconnected from your partner or struggling to communicate about this process, couples counselling can help you find common ground.
Why Donor Conception Counselling Matters
There are emotional layers to this journey that aren’t always visible to others. Some people feel grief over letting go of a genetic link. Others worry about how to explain the use of donor gametes to their donor-conceived child, or how this might affect their current family dynamic.
Counselling helps you:
- Work through grief, fear, or ambivalence
- Prepare for future conversations with your child about their story
- Reflect on identity, boundaries, and openness
- Explore what family means to you now
- Feel fully informed about the psychological aspects of donor conception
Support for Donors, Surrogates & Their Partners
We offer
- One-on-one sessions to explore motivations and expectations
- Conversations around openness, contact, and future relationships
- Support in navigating emotional boundaries and communication
- Space to reflect on how this fits into your life now and in the future
- Discussions around genetic testing, medical history, and the health of the donor if applicable
Every Family is Different and Every Story Deserves Support
Whether you’re
- A lesbian couple using a sperm donor
- A gay couple working with an egg donor and surrogate
- A solo parent by choice
- Or navigating donor conception due to medical or genetic reasons
We’re here to help and support you!
We offer 2SLGBTQIA+ affirming therapy for queer, trans, and non-binary individuals and couples growing their families through gamete donation and other forms of assisted reproductive technology.
Beyond the Assessment: Ongoing Counselling and Support
Some people come for a one-time assessment and session. Others return for continued support as they move through:
- In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) or other fertility treatment decisions
- Surrogacy processes and legal conversations
- Grief around infertility or identity shifts
- Preparing for parenting after donor conception
- Managing boundaries and communication with donors, recipients and surrogates
We also connect clients with:
- Support groups (when available)
- Reading lists and educational resources
- Additional counselling sessions as needed
If You Are Considering Donor Conception We’re Here to Support
Choosing donor conception doesn’t mean you’ve failed, it means you’re doing whatever it takes to build your family with intention and love.
Let’s take the next step together, with clarity and care.
Ready to get started? Book a free 15-minute consultation to learn more.
Donor Conception& Assessment
Frequently Asked Questions
You don’t need to study or bring anything special, this isn’t a test. The best way to prepare is to reflect on a few key questions:
- What does this path to parenthood mean to me/us?
- How do I feel about using a donor or surrogate?
- What hopes or concerns do I have about the future?
It’s also okay if you don’t have all the answers yet. The session is a chance to talk through your thoughts and get support.
Fertility counselling with a known donor is a chance for everyone involved to talk openly. Together, we explore expectations, boundaries, and future possibilities. This might include the kind of relationship that may exist between the donor and child, how the child’s origin will be discussed, and what feels right for each person involved.
It is not a legal negotiation. It is a supportive conversation that helps build understanding and reduce the chance of future misunderstandings.
In most cases, yes. Fertility clinics typically recommend counselling when egg donation is part of the process, especially if the donor is someone you know. Counselling helps both the intended parent and the donor understand what the donation means, now and in the future.
Together, we talk about readiness, expectations, the possibility of future contact, and emotional considerations that are often overlooked. Even if counselling is not required, many people find it very helpful.
There are many ways to receive support during this process. We offer one-on-one counselling for intended parents, donors, and surrogates. We also support couples and families.
We can help you work through grief, anxiety, fear, or any unexpected emotions. Some clients want to talk through boundaries or feel unsure about disclosure. Others want tools to help them feel more emotionally grounded. No matter where you are in your journey, support is available.
Some people feel grief about not having a genetic connection to their child. Others feel anxious about how to talk to their child or how their family will respond. These feelings are normal and deserve space.
In counselling, we explore these emotions with care. You can talk openly about fears, sadness, or any hesitation you may feel. The goal is to help you feel more at peace and confident in your decision.
If you are working with a fertility clinic or using a donor or surrogate, a psychological assessment is often required. Even if it is not mandatory, it can still be helpful.
The assessment gives you a space to think through your decision, explore how this path may affect your child, and feel more emotionally prepared. It is not about passing or failing. It is about feeling ready and supported.
