Attitude of Nigerian obstetrician-gynecologists toward gamete donation

Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) as a treatment for infertility has come to stay in Nigeria. However, currently there is no national regulation of the practice even though the Association for Fertility and Reproductive Health has recently produced a guideline for practice by its members. Though there is an international trend toward more information giving to donors/clients/child in gamete donation, opinions and attitudes depend on cultural and societal values.

To investigate the attitude of Nigerian obstetrician/gynecologists toward gamete donation.

This is a cross-sectional descriptive study in which a structured questionnaire was administered to 110 obstetrician-gynecologists following an oral informed consent. Data analysis was done using SPSS v. 20 by descriptive statistics of frequency and percentage, with Pearson Chi-square test for association between demographic variables and responses.

The age range of respondents was 31-68 years with a mean of 44.5 +/-8.9 SD. Majority (85.5%) were males and 72 (65.5%) were <50 years of age. Seventy-five (68.2%) and sixty-six (60%) respondents were in support of anonymous and non-anonymous gamete donation, respectively. More than two-thirds of participants rejected giving off-springs donor information either in child or adulthood. Forty respondents (36.4%) rejected that parents be honest with the child about his/her genetic origin, whilst sixty-two (56.4%) and forty-three (38%) gynecologists were of the view that sperm and oocyte donors should not be compensated, respectively.

There is a greater support for anonymous than non-anonymous gamete donation among Nigerian obstetrician/gynecologists, and they also have a negative attitude to disclosure of donor-information to off-springs from gamete donation. They were more likely to support compensation for oocyte than sperm donors. Legal protection of donors and recipients through a national regulation will provide greater openness among all stakeholders.