Arthur and Audrey Kermalvezen took DNA tests to confirm they were not related before moving forward with their relationship

NEED TO KNOW

• A man and a woman who fell in love questioned whether they could be siblings after they were both conceived through sperm donation
• Arthur and Audrey Kermalvezen met in 2010 at a gathering for donor-conceived activists, and they described their initial meeting to the outlet as “love at first sight”
• The parents of three continue to advocate for biological origin access

A man and a woman — both conceived through sperm donation —met, and they fell in love quickly. But early on in their relationship, they had to wonder: was there a chance they could be siblings?

Arthur and Audrey Kermalvezen met in 2010 at a gathering for donor-conceived activists, according to the BBC. They described their initial meeting to the outlet as “love at first sight.”

The pair started a relationship, but they opted to look into their genetic history at the same time, given that when they were both born, there were only two sperm banks in Paris, where they live. The BBC reported that many men made multiple sperm donations at the time, so it wasn’t impossible that Arthur and Audrey could be half-siblings.

However, laws surrounding genetic testing and donors being able to stay anonymous are strict in France. Per the outlet, only a research scientist, doctor or judge can order and supervise a genetic test, and others who possess such can be fined. (Genetic testing companies purposely don’t make their products available in the country.)

After months of searching, Arthur and Audrey eventually found a doctor who was willing to break the law to help them, the BBC reported. The medical professional orchestrated a genetic test, which found that the pair were not related.

Still, Audrey told the outlet that the couple was “worried he was a charlatan,” so they pondered using an at-home testing kit to confirm the result.

Eventually determining to do so, Audrey, a lawyer, challenged the legal system in France to do it legally, but she failed. In 2015, France’s highest administrative court rejected Audrey’s final appeal.

Despite the setbacks, Arthur and Audrey told the BBC they decided to take a “leap of faith” and got married. When Audrey became pregnant with the couple’s first baby, that’s when she and Arthur finally got more insight into their biological history.

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At the time, a doctor agreed to look into any information they could find about Arthur and Audrey’s respective sperm donors. Per the BBC, a medical practitioner has access to such information about their patients under French law, but they cannot then share it with the patient.

“It’s completely weird,” Audrey told the publication. “Because it means that the doctor can know more than me … about me.”

The doctor found that Arthur and Audrey’s donors were born in different years, meaning they were not conceived from the same man’s sperm.

But even with all the information presented, Arthur remained cautious and eventually took a home DNA test after years of opting against it. The test also determined that he and Audrey are not related, the BBC reported.

Later in 2017, Arthur’s test helped him make contact with his sperm donor, and the pair met on Christmas Day, per the outlet. Audrey, meanwhile, discovered that one of her DNA matches was a woman named Sophie — her biological sister — whom she had previously represented in court for biological legal rights similar to her own.

According to the BBC, Audrey and Arthur, who now share three children together, took their DNA test alongside eight other donor-conceived individuals similarly fighting for the same informational access. Of the 10, four share the same donor.

Years later, a genetic match linked Audrey to her own donor, a man named Philippe, but he had already died, the outlet reported. His family eventually welcomed Audrey for a visit, and she was able to learn more about her biological background through them.

Arthur has written a book, Born from an Unknown Sperm …, and he and Audrey have launched an association, Origines, which advocates for biological origin access. “Every person has the right to know their origins and the right to know their history,” Audrey told the BBC.

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