The Australian Surrogacy Podcast Episode 88: Hayley. Hayley is a donor conceived person in Victoria, and her parents shared with her that she was donor conceived when she was 12 years old. When she was older, Hayley did a DNA test with consumer-DNA sites (like Ancestry and 23andme), and worked out who her biological father was, and connected with several siblings. Hayley later connected with her biological father through the Central Register which is managed by VARTA.
You can find out more information about some of the things we discussed, including:
- The Central Register with VARTA, which you can hear more about in this episode with VARTA’s Kate Bourne.
. - VARTA’s resources for donors, parents and donor-conceived people.
. - Consumer DNA-testing and donor-linking, such as we discussed in the Podcast episode with genetic genealogist Emma Lee.
. - The experiences of donor-conceived people and the reasons why we need to be open about donor conception, which is detailed more in this post.
. - You can read and hear more about donor conception, including experiences from donors and parents, on the Blog and in the Podcast.
. - Hayley talked about a site We Are Donor Conceived which is a global resource for donor conceived people, where donor conceived people can share their stories with each other and the general public in order to inspire greater understanding about the unique challenges they face.
You can find more information in the free Surrogacy Handbook, reading articles in the Blog, by listening to more episodes of the Surrogacy Podcast. You can also book in for a consult with me below.
Hi! I’m Sarah Jefford (she/her). I’m a family creation lawyer, practising in surrogacy and donor conception arrangements. I’m an IVF mum, an egg donor and a traditional surrogate, and I delivered a baby for two dads in 2018
I advocate for positive, best practice surrogacy arrangements within Australia, and provide support and education to help intended parents make informed decisions when pursuing overseas surrogacy.
