Hurley, EmmaGoedeke, Sonja2026-03-052026-03-052026-02-23Human Fertility (Camb), ISSN: 1464-7273 (Print); 1742-8149 (Online), 29(1), 2633987-. doi: 10.1080/14647273.2026.26339871464-72731742-8149http://hdl.handle.net/10292/20724In New Zealand, embryo donors and recipients meet in a joint counselling session before donation where their needs and expectations for future contact are discussed. However, the extent and experience of contact - including that occurring before the mandated age of identity release at 18 - has received little international research attention and has not been explored in New Zealand. This study, based on interviews with nine participants who had donated or received embryos, examined donor and recipient expectations and experiences of early contact, including the nature of their relationships, how boundaries and expectations are managed and their role in each other's lives. Thematic analysis identified that contact was experienced as overwhelmingly positive, with many participants describing strong, meaningful connections between families. Relationships between children in both families were particularly valued, and extended family often became part of these networks. Contact arrangements were flexible, combining in-person and digital communication. Joint counselling was viewed as instrumental in establishing contact expectations and fostering positive relationships. Although participants were satisfied with the pre-donation counselling process, findings suggest the value of ongoing access to support for issues which may emerge after donation.© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.Donor conceptiondonorsearly contactembryo donationrecipients3215 Reproductive Medicine32 Biomedical and Clinical SciencesClinical Research7.1 Individual care needs1103 Clinical Sciences1114 Paediatrics and Reproductive MedicineObstetrics & Reproductive Medicine3215 Reproductive medicineHumansNew ZealandFemaleAdultMaleTissue DonorsParentsCounselingEmbryo DispositionHumansNew ZealandFemaleAdultMaleTissue DonorsParentsCounselingEmbryo DispositionJournal ArticleOpenAccess10.1080/14647273.2026.2633987