PSYCHOSOCIAL-ASPECTS OF DONOR INSEMINATION - SPERM DONORS - THEIR MOTIVATIONS AND ATTITUDES TO ARTIFICIAL-INSEMINATION

Study objectives. To examine sperm donors' motivations and emotional r eactions to the role of donors and to measure their willingness to pro vide information about themselves to recipients and offspring. Design. A prospective trial in which the 26 subjects who were actively functi oning as sperm donors in our fertility clinic at the time of investiga tion were asked to fill in a questionnaire and return it anonymously a nd voluntarily. Main results. 8% of the donors stated purely altruisti c motivation, 32% purely financial and 60% a combination of both. The acceptance rate for providing non-identifying, phenotypic, descriptive information to recipients is 76%, for providing medical information i t is 60% and the provision of psychosocial information is accepted by 28% to 40%, depending on the item. 20% of donors are willing to contin ue donation if the present rules of anonymity are revoked. Conclusions , Most donors do not seem to feel any close relationship to donor offs pring and at least 60% found anonymity to be essential for their furth er functioning as donors.