Donor conception means creating a family using donated sperm, eggs or embryos.

• Registrations are accepted where treatment took place in Western Australia through a doctor or clinic.
• Donor-conceived people aged 18 or over who wish to connect with their donor siblings and/or their donor.
• Donors of sperm, eggs or embryos.
• Parents of donor-conceived children who are under 18 years of age.

• There is no charge to join the register or for our support services.

• No, counselling is not compulsory. However, few people understand the emotional complexities in being part of a donor-conceived family so it may be helpful to talk to somebody about your feelings and concerns.
• Jigsaw DNA Connect offers a range of free services to support you and your family, including information, support, counselling, mediation, reading material.

• No identifying information will ever be shared without your consent. If a match is made on the Donor and Offspring Register we will contact both parties to discuss their wishes.

• Yes, your family can also access our free support services.

• Unfortunately, there are instances where donor code records cannot be located or the records no longer exist. Please contact us and we can make further enquiries on your behalf. We can also provide support and intermediary services to people who have been contacted through direct-to-consumer DNA testing. Contact us if you would like more information about DNA tests.

• Family DNA testing is becoming increasingly popular on websites such as Ancestry and 23andme. Many people use DNA testing to find out more about their ethnic mix and ancestors while others want to build their family tree.
• According to research done by VARTA (Victorian Assisted reproductive Treatment Authority) 37{0409dda82a4a326af73fa00f72b950ee71df3d667bfa02b952ce3a0cb8a25d72} of donor-conceived people discovered they were donor-conceived through DNA testing and 50{0409dda82a4a326af73fa00f72b950ee71df3d667bfa02b952ce3a0cb8a25d72} of donor-conceived people then went on to find their donor using family DNA testing. It is estimated that in 5 years 95{0409dda82a4a326af73fa00f72b950ee71df3d667bfa02b952ce3a0cb8a25d72} of people will be able to link to a relative via DNA testing.

• If you are considering DNA testing you might want to discuss some of the issues raised with us.
• Jigsaw DNA Connect can help you find experts in the interpretation of DNA testing results to help you find relatives.

• A gamete is the male (sperm) or female (egg or ovum) reproductive cell that contains half the genetic material of the organism. When two human gametes meet, that is a sperm and ovum, you get a zygote, a fertilized egg.

A donor-conceived person (conceived on or after 1 December 2004) will be eligible for identifying information when they turn 16 years of age. More information here: https://www.rtc.org.au/wpcontent/uploads/2020/03/Access-to-Information.pdf

• Since 1993, 5 families are allowed to use the same donor, you can apply to RTU for special approval to vary from that. Pre 1993, there were no rules. Other States may have different rules.