Sperm donors: their attitudes toward providing medical and psychosocial information for recipient couples and donor offspring.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the willingness of sperm donors to provide in-depth medical and psychosocial information on their application forms and to share this information with recipient couples and their offspring.

DESIGN

Sperm donors in two donor programs were asked to complete 12-page application forms. In addition to frequency tabulations of responses, chi 2 analyses were performed to compare responses from two programs.

SETTING

The two donor programs were Baylor College of Medicine Sperm Bank Program, Scott Department of Urology, Houston, Texas, and Reproductive Resources, Metairie, Louisiana.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Attitude toward providing in-depth medical and psychosocial information to recipient couples.

RESULTS

Ninety percent of these donors are willing to complete lengthy application forms providing medical and psychosocial information. Ninety-six percent are willing to share this information in a nonidentifying manner with recipient families. Thirty-six percent say that they will be donors if anonymity cannot be guaranteed, and 60% indicate that they will meet or provide identifying information to the child at age 18. Seventy-two percent left personal messages to their potential offspring.

CONCLUSIONS

Sperm donors are willing to provide in-depth nonidentifying information for recipient families. Permanent files with medical and psychosocial information on all donors should be developed, maintained, and made available to all recipients, whether they request donor information at the time or conception or not.