Public opinion regarding oocyte donation in Sweden

Abstract

Background: Oocyte donation has been permitted by Swedish legislation since January 2003. According to the law, offspring have the right to receive identifying information about the donor when they reach a mature age. The aim of the present study was to investigate public opinion regarding different aspects of oocyte donation. Methods: A study-specific questionnaire regarding attitudes towards aspects of oocyte donation was sent to a randomized sample of 1000 women (73% response) and 1000 men (56% response). Results: A majority of respondents supported treatment with oocyte donation. Seventeen per cent of the women considered donating in the future, whereas 56% of the men would support their partner. While nearly half of the respondents considered that offspring should receive identifying information of the donor, one-third were opposed to this. Overall, women were more positive towards disclosure to the offspring than were men (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The present results indicate strong support for the use of oocyte donation among a subset of the Swedish population. There was considerable interest among women in donating oocytes anonymously. While a majority advocated openness regarding the donation between parents and child, there was less support for the offspring to have a legal right to receive identifying information about their donor.