title: Gamete donors' motivation in a Swedish national sample: is there any ambivalence? A descriptive study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study donors' motivation and ambivalence before donation of gametes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven Swedish university hospital clinics. Sample. Of the 220 eligible oocyte donors and 156 eligible sperm donors who were approached, 181 (82%) oocyte donors and 119 (76%) sperm donors agreed to participate.
  
  
  METHODS
  Gamete donors completed a questionnaire in the clinic prior to the donation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Motives and ambivalence towards donation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In general, gamete donors donated for altruistic reasons (95%). A greater percentage of oocyte than sperm donors had a personal experience of biological children, which motivated them to donate (65 vs. 32%). A greater percentage of sperm donors compared with oocyte donors were curious about their own fertility (24 vs. 9%), and they also believed that they were contributing what they regarded as their own good genes to other couples (45 vs. 20%). Prior to donation, potential sperm donors were more ambivalent towards donating than were oocyte donors (39 and 21%, p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The motives to donate gametes are mainly altruistic. We conclude that men and women differ in their view towards donating gametes. Sperm donors had a higher degree of ambivalent feelings towards donation than oocyte donors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. agneta.skoog_svanberg@kbh.uu.se
authors.forename: Agneta Skoog
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Svanberg
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lampic
authors.forename: Ann-Louise
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Gejervall
authors.forename: Ann-Louise
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Geijerwall
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gudmundsson
authors.forename: Per-Olof
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Karlström
authors.forename: Nils-Gunnar
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Solensten
authors.forename: Gunilla
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sydsjö
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000533:Altruism; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology; D001290:Attitude; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003657:Decision Making; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D018587:Oocyte Donation; D013094:Spermatozoa; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement; D035501:Uncertainty