Attitude of Male and Female Subjects towards Oocyte Donation in Shiraz

Oocyte donation is an infertility treatment method in women undergoing cancer treatment, in premature ovarian failure, and menopause or in women who are known carriers for a serious autosomal recessive or X-linked disorder. Recipients of donated oocytes should have intact uterus to support embryo implantation and normal ongoing pregnancy. The objectives of this study were to evaluate attitude of male and female subjects towards oocyte donation and factors affecting these variables such as gender and education. This descriptive-correlative study was carried out in Shiraz, Iran, during spring 2008. The cases included 206 subjects (102 females and 104 males), single and married, with and without offspring and fertile and infertile subjects who filled a researcher-devised questionnaire, including questions on demography, attitude toward oocyte donation and conditions in which they might consider this kind of assisted treatment. There were no statistically significant relationships between gender and attitude towards infertility treatment by oocyte donation. There was a relationship between attitude regarding oocyte donation and educational levels of the participants. There were significant differences between female and male subjects regarding medical conditions and conditions requiring this kind of assisted treatment (p<0.01); in conditions with female infertility, female subjects were more open to accept the procedure than men and men were reported to be more against any kind of treatment under any circumstances. There were no differences between women and men in cases of infertility due to age, parenting a disabled child or presence of inherited medical conditions in the family. Regarding the need for oocyte donation in some types of infertility, and the need to submit to the method by both couples, health centers should prepare the ground for proper consultations to provide correct information on the procedure and its legal aspects to help them accept or reject the method.