To identify the perceptions of women oocyte donors this qualitative study was conducted on 30 oocyte donors using in-depth interview. The three main categories of decision-making challenge, the consequences of participation in assisted reproductive treatment, and the contrast between the self-image and social-image of the donor were inferred. Financial and altruistic motivation, social taboo, and the approval of trusted people were the sub-categories of the decision-making challenge. The results of the study showed that the decision for oocyte donation follows the effort of women to balance the financial and spiritual benefits of the donation against its cultural barriers.
Background
Oocyte donation is one of the assisted reproductive techniques that can undermine the mental health of the women donor. As such, the aim of this study is to design a mental health promotion program for oocyte donors.
Methods
This is an exploratory mixed methods study (qualitative-quantitative) that consists of three phases. In the first phase, a qualitative study will be conducted to identify the needs and strategies of the mental health promotion program for the women donors. In this phase, the participants will be selected using purposeful sampling method and the data will be collected through semi-structured interviews. In the second phase, the initial draft of the program is designed and validated in the panel of experts and using the classic Delphi technique and, then, the program is finalized. In the third phase, the designed program will be implemented as a quasi-experimental study in two groups of program recipients (intervention) and control, and the effectiveness of the intervention program will be evaluated.
Discussion
In order to design a documentation-based mental health promotion program for the oocyte donors, their experience during the process of oocyte donation should be evaluated. Doing so, the program will be developed based on the specific circumstances of the target population and their social and cultural context and, hence, will have the highest impact.
Background
The presence of maternal emotions towards the offspring resulting from assisted reproductive techniques (ART) has been previously reported in oocyte donors. However, there is limited information about the presence of these emotions in oocyte donors during the ART process and before pregnancy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the emotions of oocyte donor women towards the potential genetic offspring and to compare them with women treated with ART by using own oocytes.
Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted on 100 women who were divided into two groups of oocyte donors and those treated with ART and using autologous oocyte. At the time of oocyte retrieval. Using a validated questionnaire, the emotions toward potential offspring (EPO) resulting from ART and its three dimensions (including imagination, sense of ownership, and importance of treatment outcome) were measured and compared in two groups.
Results
Comparison of the EPO in the two groups showed that the emotions in all three dimensions were lower in oocyte donors than the other group (p < 0.001). Moreover, in oocyte donors, the mean score of the scale of the importance of treatment outcome dimension was higher than the other two scales (p < 0.001).
Conclusion
The results of the study showed that there is a significant emotion toward the potential offspring in oocyte donors. The presence of these emotions thus should be considered in formulating the ethical charter of ART by using oocyte donation.
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