
The kids, no matter how they are conceived, are all right. That is the main takeaway from a new study by British researchers that found no real differences in the psychological well-being of kids who were born via sperm/egg donation or surrogacy and those born naturally by the time they reached the age of 20. “Children born through third-party reproductive donation — egg donation, sperm donation or surrogacy — are well-adjusted and have positive relationships with their parents right up to adulthood,” said study author Susan Golombok, former director of the Centre for Family Research at the University of Cambridge. For the study, the researchers followed 65 families with children born via assisted reproduction from infancy until the child turned 20. Moms and kids were interviewed and filled out questionnaires about their relationships. Their answers were compared to those of 52 families of children conceived naturally during the same period. The bottom line? “The absence of a biological [genetic or gestational] connection between children and their parents does not interfere with the development of positive relationships between them or the psychological well-being of the child,” Golombok said. The new findings are consistent with previous assessments the researchers made at ages 1, 2, 3, 7, 10 and 14, she added. Kids aren’t all that fussed about how they were born, but it may be better to… read on > read on >