Human Reproduction, Vol. 18, No. 4, 878-884,
April 2003
© 2003 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology
Embryo donation: attitudes toward donation procedures and factors predicting willingness to donate*
1 London Health Sciences Centre and 2 University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada and 3 Mayo Clinic, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
4 To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, London Health Sciences Centre, 339 Windermere Rd., London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 5A5. e-mail: christopher.newton{at}lhsc.on.ca
BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to assess infertile couples’ attitudes toward the procedures of embryo donation (ED) and to identify factors predicting interest in donation. METHODS: Fifty-one couples who had received IVF treatment and had subsequently had embryos cryopreserved for >3 years were located and sent written information about the procedures for ED and possible implications of donation. A total of 49 couples agreed to participate in the study with 36 women and 31 men subsequently returning questionnaires describing their reasons for not claiming unused embryos and attitudes towards ED. RESULTS: Patients were supportive of donor screening procedures, but less comfortable sharing non-identifying information. Comfort levels declined as information became increasingly personal. Support for unconditional (i.e. the donation of embryos without conditions attached) and conditional (i.e. where couples could limit the donation of their embryos to persons/couples according to their preferences) models of donation was highly polarized and a substantial minority expressed strong opposition to each model. Willingness to donate was associated with greater comfort about disclosing personal information, a desire to know the outcome of donation and willingness to have future contact with a child, but not with current family size. CONCLUSIONS: Comfort in sharing information with a recipient couple is more important than acceptance of screening procedures, or attainment of family size goals in predicting willingness to donate embryos. Offering the option of conditional donation could increase the acceptability of ED for some patients.
Key words: cryopreservation/embryo donation/patient attitudes
* Presented at the 57th Annual Meeting of The American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Orlando, Florida, October 20 to 25, 2001.
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