Thinking about growing your family with the help of a donor? Or maybe you’re considering becoming a donor yourself? Whether you're navigating fertility challenges, creating a family as a same-sex couple or solo parent, or just starting to explore the world of assisted reproduction—this guide has you covered.

In Australia, donation is altruistic—meaning donors can’t be paid for their eggs or sperm. They can be reimbursed for reasonable expenses (like travel, time off work, or medical costs), but not for the donation itself.

This means people donate for personal reasons: to help someone become a parent, to pay forward the help they once received, or simply because they can.

‍How It Works (in a Nutshell)

Egg Donation

  • Who donates? Typically women aged 21–35, often those who’ve completed their own families.
  • The process: Includes screening (medical and psychological), hormone injections, and a short day procedure to retrieve the eggs.
  • Used by: Individuals or couples who can’t use their own eggs (due to age, health, or genetics), or male same-sex couples needing both a donor and surrogate.

Sperm Donation

  • Who donates? Men aged 18–45 in good health.
  • The process: Semen is collected at a clinic and frozen after a health screening and STI testing.
  • Used by: Single women, same-sex female couples, or heterosexual couples experiencing male-factor infertility.

Known vs Clinic-Recruited Donors

Known Donor

  • Someone you know personally—like a friend or relative.
  • Still goes through legal and medical screening.
  • Often used when the donor wants an ongoing connection or the recipient wants to keep it “in the family.”

Clinic-Recruited Donor

  • An anonymous donor who donates via a fertility clinic (though “anonymous” is limited—more on that below).
  • Recipients usually select based on physical characteristics, personality, or donor profile info.

Identity Disclosure Laws

Here’s the big one: In every Australian state and territory, children born via donation have the legal right to know their donor’s identity once they turn 18.

That means:

  • Donors must consent to their identifying info being recorded.
  • Clinics are required to keep donor records and pass them on to a central register.
  • Some states allow donor-conceived people to access info earlier with consent.

So while recipients may not meet the donor now, their child can later. It’s not a totally anonymous process—by design.

State & Territory Differences

While the core principles are national, some rules vary by state:

  • VIC & NSW: Have donor registers and active support services for donor-conceived families.
  • QLD & WA: Similar laws, but the systems for managing records may differ.
  • TAS, SA, ACT, NT: Follow national guidelines but with variations in how they handle identity disclosure and contact preferences.

Each state also has its own rules on:

  • How many families a donor’s material can be used for
  • How long donor records are kept
  • Whether counselling is mandatory

How Many Families Can Use One Donor?

Each state limits how many families can use one donor’s eggs or sperm. For example:

  • Victoria: Max of 10 families
  • NSW: Usually capped at 5 families
  • This includes the donor’s own family (if they have children of their own).

This rule exists to prevent accidental half-sibling meet-cutes later in life and to protect the wellbeing of all involved.

Considerations for Recipients

  • Emotional readiness: Even though it’s a medical process, it comes with big feelings.
  • Talking to your child: It’s encouraged (and best practice) to be open from the beginning about how they were conceived.
  • Ongoing connection: Some families stay in touch with their donor. Others don’t. Either way, it’s helpful to talk it through during counselling.

Considerations for Donors

  • It’s a forever decision: You may be contacted by the child someday—and that’s part of the deal.
  • You don’t have legal or financial responsibilities, but you might play a unique role in a child’s life someday.
  • You’ll need to be transparent about your medical history, and willing to be contacted (through a register) when the time comes.

Where to Start

If you're ready to explore donation or receive donor treatment, your first stop should be a licensed fertility clinic. They’ll walk you through:

  • Medical screening
  • Legal counselling
  • Identity disclosure laws
  • Matching with donors (or supporting your known donor)

You can also check with your state health department for info about donor registers and eligibility.

What If You Want to Be Known Before the Child Turns 18?

Great question—and one that comes up more often than you’d think.

Even though Australian law says donor-conceived children have the right to know their donor’s identity at 18, there is a path for earlier contact—if everyone agrees.

Here’s how it works:

If you’re a donor and you’d like to be known earlier:

  • Let the fertility clinic know. You can express your openness to contact before the child turns 18.
  • This info is typically shared with the recipient(s) during counselling.
  • Some clinics even help set boundaries and agreements for early connection (e.g., sending a letter, meeting once a year, or just being available if questions arise).

If you’re a recipient parent and you’re open to early contact:

  • You can choose a known donor from the start—or ask the clinic if any donors are open to early contact.
  • Many families stay in occasional touch with their donor, even if it’s just a photo and a thank-you email now and then.
  • This is especially helpful if your child is curious or wants to understand where they came from early on.

If you’re donor-conceived and under 18:

  • In most states, you can request identifying information earlier than 18 with your parents’ consent, or sometimes through a central donor register.
  • Some donor registers allow voluntary contact preferences, where both sides agree to connect before the legal age.

The golden rule? Everyone needs to consent. Early contact is never forced—it’s offered, respected, and navigated with care.

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