ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book outlines the development of the thinking and practice of building families with the assistance of donor conception. It offers an overview of the psychological issues related to reproductive technology. In many ways, an understanding of the processes of procreation and child rearing embraces the whole body of psychoanalytic theory and practice. The book provides a thorough and sensitive overview of emotional difficulties of people who encounter infertility. It addresses the issues that confront prospective parents of donor conceived children, families with donor conceived offspring, and, most importantly, donor conceived children and adults themselves. The book describes a research study of men's experiences of infertility and donor conception and of disclosing donor conception to children, partners, and wider social systems. It explores the anxieties, conflicts, and psychological defences of parents as they intersect with developmental tasks and emotional experiences of the children.
