Relative Strangers Key Messages

In the Relative Strangers research project we explored how heterosexual and lesbian couples make the decision to conceive using donor sperm, eggs or embryos and how they subsequently involved their wider families in matters concerning their children. Wider family is often very important in the context of having a baby and we wanted to investigate how couples felt about sharing information about the conception with their own parents, in-laws, extended families and of course their children. Exploringthe significance that families place on genetic connectedness was a crucial element of the study. This leaflet outlines some of the key messages from our research.