scholarly journals Online sperm donation: a survey of the demographic characteristics, motivations, preferences and experiences of sperm donors on a connection website

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (9) ◽  
pp. 2082-2089 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Freeman ◽  
V. Jadva ◽  
E. Tranfield ◽  
S. Golombok
Keyword(s):  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
Sperm Donation ◽  
Sperm Donors

scholarly journals A systematic review of sperm donors: demographic characteristics, attitudes, motives and experiences of the process of sperm donation

2012 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Van den Broeck ◽  
M. Vandermeeren ◽  
D. Vanderschueren ◽  
P. Enzlin ◽  
K. Demyttenaere ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
Sperm Donation ◽  
Sperm Donors

scholarly journals A comparison of the characteristics, motivations, preferences and expectations of men donating sperm online or through a sperm bank

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (11) ◽  
pp. 2208-2218
Author(s):  
S Graham ◽  
T Freeman ◽  
V Jadva
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Legal Protection ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
Sperm Donation ◽  
Screening Criteria ◽  
Sperm Donors ◽  
Sperm Bank ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Competing Interest

Abstract STUDY QUESTION How do the demographic characteristics, motivations, experiences and expectations of unregulated sperm donors (men donating sperm online through a connection website) compare to sperm donors in the regulated sector (men donating through a registered UK sperm bank)? SUMMARY ANSWER Online donors were more likely to be older, married and have children of their own than sperm bank donors, were more varied in their preferences and expectations of sperm donation, and had more concerns about being a sperm donor. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY While studies have examined motivations and experiences of both regulated sperm bank, and unregulated online sperm donors, no study has directly compared these two groups of donors. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION An email was sent to the 576 men who were registered sperm donors at the London Sperm Bank, the UK’s largest sperm bank regulated by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), who had commenced donation between January 2010 and December 2016, and had consented to be contacted for research. The online survey, which contained multiple choice and open-ended questions, was completed by 168 men over a 7-week period. The responses were compared to those of sperm donors registered on Pride Angel, a large UK-based connection website for donors and recipients of sperm: our research team had already collected these data. In total, 5299 sperm donors were on Pride Angel at time of data capture and 400 men had completed a similar survey. The responses of 70 actual online sperm donors (i.e. those whose sperm had been used to conceive at least one child) were used for comparison with the sperm bank donors. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS The survey obtained data on the sperm donors’ demographic characteristics, motivations, experiences and expectations of sperm donation. Data from sperm bank donors were compared to online donors to examine differences between the two groups. The study compared online and clinic donors who had all been accepted as sperm donors: online donors who had been ‘vetted’ by recipients and sperm bank donors who had passed the rigorous screening criteria set by the clinic. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE A response rate of 29% was obtained from the sperm bank donors. Online donors were significantly older than sperm bank donors (mean ± SD: 38.7 ± 8.4 versus 32.9 ± 6.8 years, respectively) and were more likely to have their own children (p < 0.001 for both characteristics). Both groups rated the motivation ‘I want to help others’ as very important. Online donors rated ‘I don’t want to have children myself’, ‘to have children/procreate’ and ‘to enable others to enjoy parenting as I have myself’ as more important than sperm bank donors, whereas sperm bank donors rated financial payment as more important than online donors, as well as confirmation of own fertility. Most (93.9%) online donors had donated their sperm elsewhere, through other connection sites, fertility clinics, sperm banks or friends and family, compared to only 2.4% of sperm bank donors (p < 0.001). There was a significant difference in how donors viewed their relationship to the child, with online donors much less likely than sperm bank donors to see their relationship as a ‘genetic relationship only’. Online donors had more concerns about being a donor (p < 0.001), for example, being concerned about ‘legal uncertainty and child financial support’ and ‘future contact and uncertainty about relationship with donor-conceived child’. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Findings may not be representative of all sperm donors as only one online connection site and one HFEA registered sperm bank were used for recruitment. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Despite concern regarding shortages of sperm donors in licensed clinics and unease regarding the growing popularity of unregulated connection websites, this is the first study to directly compare online and sperm bank donors. It highlights the importance of considering ways to incorporate unregulated online sperm donors into the regulated sector. With many online donors well aware of the legal risks they undertake when donating in the unregulated online market, this would both increase the number of sperm donors available at clinics but also provide legal protection and support for donors. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This study was supported by the Wellcome Trust Grants 104 385/Z/14/Z and 097857/Z/11/Z. The authors have no conflicts of interest.

scholarly journals Attitudes and motives of potential sperm donors in Serbia

2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andjelka Hedrih ◽  
Vladimir Hedrih
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Big Five ◽  
Sperm Donation ◽  
Sperm Donor ◽  
Big Five Inventory ◽  
Sperm Donors ◽  
Donation Process

Background/Aim. For curing infertility, sperm donors and their donations are important source of benefits for the society. Attitudes of sperm donors towards different recipient categories and relation with offspring become more important. The aim of our study was to explore sperm donation related attitudes and motives among potential sperm donors in Serbia. Methods. The study included 303 participants from Serbia, age from 20 to 40. Measures of personality traits were obtained by using the Big Five Inventory. For measuring attitudes and motivation regarding sperm donation the Attitudes and Motivation of Sperm Donors questionnaire was applied. Results. A total of 244 participants stated that they would be willing to be sperm donors. The results showed no statistically significant differences in personality traits between people who claimed that they would be willing to become sperm donors, and those claiming otherwise, but a number of differences in personality traits were found when various attitudes regarding sperm donation process, possible users of donated sperm and relations between the donor and his biological offspring were considered. Conclusion. There are no statistically significant differences in personality traits between people who claimed that they would and those that would not be willing to become sperm donors. It is possible that some other factors (e.g. cultural values) influence the decision to become sperm donor, but personality traits play an important role in making decisions regarding sperm donation process, possible receivers of donation and relations between the donor and his biological offspring.

Assisted Reproduction in the Digital Age: Stories of Canadian Sperm Donors Offering Their Gametes Online via Introduction Websites

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 184-202
Author(s):  
Kévin Lavoie ◽  
Isabel Côté ◽  
Francine de Montigny
Keyword(s):  
Single Women ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Access To Information ◽  
Mutual Trust ◽  
Sperm Donation ◽  
Health Concerns ◽  
Sperm Donors ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
The Family ◽  
Informal Settings

The aim of this study was to describe the phenomenon of sperm donation offered in informal settings and, more specifically, by contacts through the Internet. It documented the perceptions, experiences, and practices of a sample of Canadian donors and explored their motivations for becoming involved in the family projects of others. Eight semistructured interviews were conducted with men who had offered their sperm to couples or single women through one or more introduction websites. The results showed that the process leading to sperm donation outside fertility clinics is influenced by a variety of factors, such as the motives of those involved, logistics, and health concerns, as well as the possibility of having access to information on the genetic heritage of children conceived from these donations. The men applied different strategies to achieve their donations, engaging in a process of negotiation with the recipients, based on mutual trust and acceptance of the risks involved.

scholarly journals Informal Sperm Donation in Russia

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 481
Author(s):  
Irina G. Polyakova
Keyword(s):  
Financial Support ◽  
Assisted Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Sperm Donation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Marital Relations ◽  
Traditional Family ◽  
Sperm Donors ◽  
Medical Tests

Rising infertility across the globe has created a growing demand for assisted reproductive technologies (ART). In recent years, apart from sperm donation in formal settings such as fertility clinics, informal donation practices have emerged and spread across Russia. These reproductive donation practices have become possible due to the development of social networks and private online platforms. We conducted a pilot study (eleven semi-structured interviews) of the informal sperm donation in Russia and analyzed donor-recipient interactions, donors’ expectations and experiences of finding recipients online. We focus on donors' motivations and on the meanings, which donors invest in this practice that consumes significant resources on their part (medical tests and artificial insemination costs, travel and accommodation expenses, sometimes mutually agreed financial support of future offspring). We interpreted the practices that coalesced around informal donation from the perspective of symbolic interactionism, because it allowed us to showcase how actors reflected on and formulated the meanings of their actions in the absence of externally imposed rules (legal regulations, established moral conventions). Since informal donation practices do not fit into the traditional schemes of interpretation, such research requires the actors involved in informal donation either to create their own schemes or to modify the existing conceptual frames in creative ways. The study shows that informal donors do not only provide their genetic material but also spend time and invested considerable resources to ensure their procreation, including eventual financial support of the child. At the same time, these men are not interested in marital relations or paternal relations with their offspring. Thus, the informal sperm donors do not associate the parental project with traditional family and its values. We conclude that ART engendered a new phenomenon, which might be described as extramarital reproduction. Assisted reproduction outside marriage ­gains footing in Russia and requires more detailed further study.

scholarly journals MOTIVATION OF ALTRUISTIC SPERM DONORS PARTICIPATING IN ASSISTED REPRODUCTION IN RUSSIAN FEDERATION

2021 ◽  
pp. 34-54
Author(s):  
E.E. Symaniuk ◽  
◽  
I.G. Polyakova ◽  
A.G. Andal ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Assisted Reproduction ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
Sperm Donation ◽  
Donor Motivations ◽  
Sperm Donors ◽  
The Future ◽  
Future Child

This article explores the motivations behind Russian men’s altruistic sperm donation using Alderfer's Existence-Relatedness-Growth (ERG) model. Among the sample of 86 men, altru-istic motivation is mostly driven by existence and relatedness. Correlations tests indicated two patterns: 1) men driven by existence needs are more willing to maintain contact with the future child and less prone to self-promotion; 2) men driven by relatedness needs demon-strate the opposite characteristics. These results contribute to further research of reproductive donor motivations in Russia.

Desperately Seeking Daddy: A Critique of Pratten v British Columbia (Attorney General)

2013 ◽  
Vol 28 (02) ◽  
pp. 229-246
Author(s):  
Lori Chambers ◽  
Heather Hillsburg
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Family Formation ◽  
Assisted Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Attorney General ◽  
Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Genetic Knowledge ◽  
Sperm Donation ◽  
Sperm Donors ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Court Of Appeal

Abstract Current Canadian law, by silence rather than explicit choice, does not prevent anonymous sperm donation. Anonymous sperm donation, however, may soon disappear. In the recent Pratten decision, the Supreme Court of British Columbia determined that anonymity violates the constitutional rights of children born of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs). While finding that children should have access to genetic knowledge, the court failed to consider the impact of the elimination of anonymity on other parties to ARTs, both sperm donors and ART families. The case was appealed by the Attorney General of British Columbia and heard by the British Columbia Court of Appeal in February 2012 and was overturned. While agreeing with the decision of the Court of Appeal, this article argues that the court failed to provide a fulsome analysis of issues related to privacy, genetic knowledge, alternative family formation, and the false assertion that sperm donation makes a man a father.

scholarly journals Finding people like me: contact among young adults who share an open-identity sperm donor

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
J E Scheib ◽  
E McCormick ◽  
J Benward ◽  
A Ruby
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Single Mother ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Sperm Donation ◽  
Sperm Donor ◽  
Sperm Donors ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Positive Experiences ◽  
Competing Interest ◽  
Almost All

Abstract STUDY QUESTION What interests and experiences do donor-conceived adults have with respect to same-donor peers/siblings, when they share an open-identity sperm donor? SUMMARY ANSWER Donor-conceived young adults report considerable interest in, and primarily positive experiences with, their same-donor peers, with some finding ‘people like me’. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Through mutual-consent contact registries, director-to-consumer DNA testing and other means, donor-conceived people with anonymous (i.e. closed-identity) sperm donors are gaining identity- information from, and establishing relationships with, people who share their donor. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION Semi-structured, in depth telephone and Skype interviews with 47 donor-conceived young adults were carried out over a 31-month period. Inclusion criteria were being one of the first adults for each donor to obtain their identity and being at least 1-year post donor-information release. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Participants (aged 19–29 years, 68.1% women) were born to female same-sex couple parents (46.8%), a single mother (29.8%) or heterosexual couple parents (23.4%); all parents had conceived through the same US open-identity sperm donation program. The dataset was analyzed thematically and included interviews from only one participant per family. Each participant had a different donor. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Interest in, and experiences with, same-donor peers suggested that they occupy a unique position in the lives of donor-conceived young adults who share their open-identity donor. Contact can provide identity-relevant information and support through the availability of relationships (whether actualized or potential), shared experiences, and easier relationships than with their donor. Most donor-conceived young adults felt positively about their contact experiences. Of those not yet linked, almost all expressed an interest to do so. Some had met the children raised by their donor. When asked, all expressed an interest in doing so. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Interviews were conducted with donor-conceived young adults who were uncommon in their generation in terms of: having an open-identity sperm donor; the majority knowing about their family’s origins from childhood; and having parents that accessed at the time one of the only open-identity sperm donation programs. Further research is needed to assess applicability to all donor-conceived adults; findings may be more relevant to the growing number of people who have an open-identity donor and learned in childhood about their family’s origins. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Participants were among the first generation of donor-conceived adults with an open-identity sperm donor. Their experiences and perspectives can provide essential guidance to programs and others with similar origins. Early disclosure of family origins and identifying the donor did not diminish the young adults’ interest in their same-donor peers. Positive experiences suggest that the benefits of contact include not only identity-relevant information (through shared traits and experiences), but also relationships with and support from people who understand the uncommon experience of being donor conceived. Implications include the need to educate families and intended parents about the potential benefits of knowing others who are donor conceived, and the risk of unexpected linking across families by donors, regardless of donor-conceived person or family interest. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) The study was funded by the Lesbian Health Fund of GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality. The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

The ethical case for non-directed postmortem sperm donation

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (7) ◽  
pp. 489-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Hodson ◽  
Joshua Parker
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Sperm Donation ◽  
Sperm Donor ◽  
Donor Sperm ◽  
Sperm Donors ◽  
Present Context ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Donor Characteristics

In this article we outline and defend the concept of voluntary non-directed postmortem sperm donation. This approach offers a potential means of increasing the quantity and heterogeneity of donor sperm. This is pertinent given the present context of a donor sperm shortage in the UK. Beyond making the case that it is technically feasible for dead men to donate their sperm for use in reproduction, we argue that this is ethically permissible. The inability to access donor sperm and the suffering this causes, we argue, justifies allowing access to sperm donated after death. Moreover, it is known that individuals and couples have desires for certain sperm donor characteristics which may not be fulfilled when numbers of sperm donors are low. Enacting these preferences contributes significantly to the well-being of intended parents, so we argue that this provides a pro tanto reason for respecting them. Finally, we explore the benefits and possible disadvantages of such a system for the various parties affected.

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