Overview

• Laura Coldman, 33, conceived in 2021 after four self-inseminations using a donor she met through a Facebook group, travelling to his home in Sheffield.
• Her son, born in April 2022, is non-verbal and on NHS waiting lists for a hearing test, autism assessment and speech therapy, and she is fundraising for specialist safety equipment.
• Coldman says other mothers who used the same donor report children with neurodivergent traits, though this pattern is anecdotal and causation is unproven.
• She says she would not recommend sourcing free sperm online because donor medical histories and backgrounds may be undisclosed, and she has had little contact with the donor since informing him of the birth.
• Reporters note that social-media arrangements sit outside the UK’s HFEA-regulated system, where unlicensed provision is illegal and private donors can, in some cases, be treated as legal fathers.